


Soul in the Shadows

by pegasaurus2000



Category: Naruto
Genre: Brace yourselves, Explicit Language, Gen, I also suck at Summaries, I might have a pairing, I'm Sorry, Reincarnation, but it'll be slow burn, i promise it's good (hopefully), like so slow, no beta (we die like men), opposite of quicksand, slow sand, things get serious (0 to 100 real quick), this will get gory (ninja are pretty much hired assassins sooo)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:41:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 41,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26126662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pegasaurus2000/pseuds/pegasaurus2000
Summary: Nara Kazue didn't believe in reincarnation, but there was no other way to explain what had just happened. One moment she was staring down the barrel of a gun and the next... well. Waking up in a fictional world was certainly not her idea of the perfect afterlife.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Original Female Character(s), Nara Shikaku/Nara Yoshino, Nara Shikamaru & Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 106
Kudos: 357





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ... Or the one in which an OC wakes up in the Naruto universe (it's not as cheesy as it sounds... I hope).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This is my first fic, so please be nice *insert shy emoji here*
> 
> I've been writing fics for years, but this is my first time posting one (yay!)... I have a ton of chapters ready, so I'll be posting more soooon~

Her death was not drenched in ambiguity. Not completely, anyway. Every moment up until her demise was seared into her memory. 

She remembered coming home exhausted after a long day filled with multiple sessions. She remembered flicking on the news as she massaged her tired, stocking-clad feet. She remembered the mind-numbing shock that had unfurled within her upon learning that the same man she’d helped put in prison-- the same man who’d threatened to kill her-- had finally broken out. She remembered the utter terror that had filled her when she’d realized that it was too late for anyone to save her. 

Indeed, it was no surprise to see the reflection of a grimy man on the TV screen, right next to his wanted picture. The glint of the handgun in his hand caught her eye, and she swallowed sharply. Time seemed to slow as she turned to face her future killer.

There he was, just as she remembered him from the trial five years ago. His face was gaunt and pallid, black eyes lined with heavy bags. 

He’d sneered up at her when she’d started speaking, an unhinged light in his eyes that promised murder. His thunderous threats as he was hauled out of the court had become engraved into her mind. 

Strangely enough, she couldn’t recall her exact words as she tried to negotiate with him. All she remembered was the sound of his laughter-- cracking from misuse yet so, so cold-- and the deafening sound of the gun going off. 

Her hand brushed her chest and came away damp with blood. 

And then--

Pain. Blinding, white-hot pain. 

The last thing she remembered was the cold marble floor beneath her and the same crazed laughter. 

…………..

Kazue didn’t realize what had happened until six months into her new life. 

Upon her death, there were flashes of darkness, moments in which she wasn’t fully aware. But then there were glimpses of her new life-- sounds and colors, mainly. 

Looking back, Kazue could recall her vision turning white, the smell of disinfectant burning her nostrils, the strangely familiar voice of a woman, though this time filled with pain. Then, everything had exploded into a flurry of movement. There was a multitude of sharp voices overlapping-- most notably a man’s deep, frantic inquiries that quickly became subdued. Before losing awareness once again, Kazue felt herself being carried away from the commotion. 

After that time, her lucid moments became more frequent, though what she gathered was always essentially the same. From what she could tell, her new home was a cozy, two-room apartment. It was Japanese-style with Western embellishments. The overwhelming factor in her new life, though, was a man that Kazue quickly came to realize was her new father. From what little information she gathered at a time, he looked very young, perhaps barely in his twenties. He had very pale, unblemished skin, as though he didn’t venture out into the sun often. His onyx hair contrasted greatly with his skin tone, and was often gathered at the nape of his neck. Despite his young appearance, his eyes told another story. Even when he smiled down at her and his chocolate brown eyes filled with warmth, they still looked aged and burdened. 

Those eyes didn’t belong in that body. 

The strangest thing, though, was this feeling inside of Kazue. It was as though there was this source of constant warmth in her chest. That was certainly not something Kazue had experienced before. But anytime she tried to reach it, it would slip away from her, along with her consciousness. 

In the time before Kazue became fully aware, she spent most-- if not all-- of her time in that house with her new father. Her underdeveloped brain barely stored any information, but Kazue wasn’t conscious long enough to feel frustrated by this fact. She considered it a small victory when, a few months into her new life, she finally was able to grasp her new name. That day, she’d woken up in a fuzz, and her father had cooed, “Daijōbudesu ka, Kazue-chan?”

She blinked. Japanese, huh? It’s a good thing her mother had been Japanese and had decided to pass down her native tongue to her children. That was one thing Kazue could be grateful for in terms of her mother, anyway. 

Kazue barely had time to grasp that new information before reality slipped away from her once again. 

…………………..

Like she mentioned before, it took six months for Kazue to finally realize her predicament. It was, coincidentally, her first time leaving her new home. She’d caught flashes of her tou-san’s tense complexion as he packed a bag with all of Kazue’s necessities before slipping away once again. 

When she resurfaced, she was no longer at home. They were outside, and Kazue could faintly see that they were standing on someone’s porch. The sky outside was still fairly dark, hints of the sunrise just beginning to appear over the horizon. Her tou-san was holding her to his chest as he spoke quickly to the home’s owner. 

Kazue’s Japanese was a bit rusty, and her underdeveloped eardrums were not helping much either, but she managed to catch the gist of the conversation. 

“I shouldn’t be gone for more than a week… my time off has been extended enough as it is… Everything you need is in this bag, so you should have no problem… Besides, Kazue-chan is very self-aware for her age… ”

So her father was… leaving? It sounded like he had to go back to work… maybe a business trip? 

She heard a deep voice drawl in reply, but it sounded hesitant. “Are certain you have to leave now? Yoshino won’t be back until tomorrow…”

Yoshino? Why did that name sound so familiar?

Kazue felt the vibrations as her father snorted softly, adjusting his grip on her. “You’ll be fine, nii-san. It’s just one night.”

So this was her uncle, was he? 

“Tch. Troublesome. Fine, I’ll take her… But you know we have to talk about this. Yoshino told me how you’ve been living, and now you’re throwing yourself back into ANBU? You can’t keep--”

“Not now,” her tou-san snapped, and Kazue jolted in surprise. Her tou-san adjusted her in his arms, and she felt him sigh against her. “I know I haven’t been... well. I know, and we’ll talk, okay? Just… We’ll talk when I get back. Please.” His voice was tight. 

The man in front of her let out a breath of air. “...Fine. You should go, Haruki, or you’ll be late.”

Haruki. So that’s her tou-san’s name. It fits him. 

Kazue couldn’t help but fuzz a bit as she was transferred into the stranger’s arms. She tried to look up at him, but her cheek was pressed against his shoulder and away from his face. Uncle or not, she wasn’t used to feeling someone else’s body heat. She hadn’t realized it until that point, but she’d grown accustomed to her new father’s presence and wasn’t too keen on leaving him. Since her new life had started, he’d been the one constant in Kazue’s life. There was a sense of comfort in that.

She felt Haruki lean in by her. Haruki murmured, “Shh, it’s okay Kazue-chan. I’ll be back as soon as I can… you can stay with your Oji-san while I’m gone.” Kazue felt the press of lips against her forehead, a flare of wind, and then he was gone.

Oji. So he’s tou-san’s older brother. 

Her new uncle let out another sigh as he opened the door to his home and shut it behind him. Kazue got the feeling that he was in deep thought, so she began to babble idly to pass the time. She was well aware that the more sounds she made, she sooner she’d be able to have enough control for speech, so she went full steam ahead in that sense. 

The place Kazue was in was a larger version of her own home, with the same combination of Japanese and Western styling. Not for the first time, Kazue wondered where they lived. Perhaps it was a small, gated community?

There was an awkward pause in which her uncle didn’t move. Finally, as if steeling himself, he took a deep breath and strolled deeper into the house. 

They soon arrived in the main living space, where her uncle smoothly took a seat. He was still holding her to her chest with one arm, albeit a bit awkwardly. Kazue heard him rifling through the baby bag with the other arm. 

Finally, he reached up and awkwardly grasped her to hold her up in front of him. “Hello, Kazue-chan. It’s nice to finally meet you. My name is Nara Shikaku, and I’m your tou-san’s brother.”

Kazue stared at the supposedly fictional character who was to be her new uncle. Then she lost her shit. 

Could you blame her? 

…………….

Shikaku was having a terrible day. 

It had started out ordinary. As newly appointed Jonin commander, he coordinated the activity of all active jonin in the village, worked directly alongside his Hokage as well as the ANBU commander, hand picked the chunin that would be promoted to jonin duties…

It was often more than the lethargic Nara wanted to be doing, but that was life, wasn’t it? 

Lately, though, Shikaku had more than his new position to worry about. 

Shikaku hated to admit this, but he was fiercely protective of his brother. He was two years younger and utterly capable of handling himself, but Shikaku couldn’t help himself. Haruki was brilliant, as all Nara were, but he had a different mentality. Shikaku abhorred to think of it as a mental fragility, because Haruki was one of the strongest ANBU operatives in the village, but the young Nara clan head had to admit that his little brother indeed possessed a certain sensitivity that most nin lacked. 

See, Haruki had always been a gentle soul. In fact, Shikaku suspected that Haruki never wanted to become a Shinobi, only choosing to do so because he’d always admired his big brother. Growing up, Shikaku could clearly see that his brother possessed certain unique qualities beyond his brilliance. Haruki had this deep capability to understand other human beings that many nin simply could not achieve. As a result, though, Haruki became too gentle to be a ninja. Too gentle to have to undergo the horrors of ANBU. 

Shikaku had even asked Haruki if he was sure he wanted to become a ninja, but Haruki had insisted, claiming the future clan head would need someone to protect him. 

Indeed, Haruki passed his test and was placed in a genin team. To this day, it’s one of Shikaku’s great shames that he doesn’t remember Haruki’s genin team. They were together for a year before a C-ranked mission gone wrong claimed the lives of Haruki’s two teammates. When Haruki came back, he simply wasn’t the same. And it all went wrong from there. 

Haruki was placed in ANBU shortly after becoming a chunin, only a few months after the death of his teammates. Shikaku had all but begged Haruki not to join ANBU, that it would only make matters worse, even urging Inoichi to help, but Haruki had insisted. Something had broken inside of Haruki the day that his teammates perished. There was a new shattered light in his eyes that terrified Shikaku in his more vulnerable introspections. 

Over the years, Shikaku spent more and more time taking care of his little brother after he came home from a particularly gruesome mission, reeking of blood, an empty look in his eyes. Every once in a while, Haruki would simply shut down. He wouldn’t be able to get out of bed, wouldn’t respond when someone spoke to him… he became an empty shell. Though it didn’t happen often, it still scared Shikaku to his core. Thankfully, his little brother lived next to Shikaku, so it was easier to keep an eye on him. 

But then… a few months after Shikaku had married Yoshino, Haruki met Igarashi Akane, a fellow ANBU operative. Akane belonged to an almost-extinct Konoha clan. As such, she was deeply motivated, entirely committed to proving the strength of her clan through her own abilities. Haruki had later told him that Akane had been the youngest in her graduating class, choosing to work harder to become a genin after the death of her parents. 

Haruki was the happiest he’d ever been whenever he was around Akane, and Shikaku was grateful for that. He remembered the day they got married in the Nara forest. For once, his brother’s eyes had been clear, unburdened. At that moment, he had truly looked his age. 

It had only been a few months before Haruki had stormed into Shikaku’s house, eyes gleaming and the biggest grin on his face. Shikaku will never forget the look of exuberance on his little brother’s face when he announced that Akane was pregnant. 

Months passed quickly. Akane’s pregnancy soon became apparent and she was forced to take her leave from active duty. Two weeks before her due date, Shikaku was forced on a long term mission in Iwagakure as an attempt to keep the peace between the two villages. 

It was in Iwa that Shikaku had received knowledge from Yoshino of Akane’s passing during childbirth. It had taken everything in Shikaku to stay in Kumo and complete the mission rather than storming back to Konoha to check on Haruki. It was a small relief to hear that his little brother now had a healthy baby girl named Kazue. Yoshino had informed him that after she’d helped Haruki and his daughter in the hospital, she’d rarely seen them. The man had locked himself in his house, rarely allowing visitors. Except Yoshino of course; she was a force to be reckoned with when she wanted something (Shikaku had never been more grateful for his wife’s pushiness). Even then, though, she only saw them about once a week. 

His mission took a grueling six months to complete. Two weeks before his departure, though, he was surprised to receive a note from Haruki himself.

Shikaku was disappointed and concerned to find how short it was. Briefly, it mentioned how Yoshino had just departed on a semi-long-term mission in Suna. Haruki himself also had to return to ANBU soon, given that his six-month leave was almost up. Haruki had written that he knew that Shikaku would soon be returning, and implored his older brother to look after his daughter for a few days after he got back. Shikaku had quickly sent back a note expressing his agreement. 

He’d arrived late last night to an empty home, since Yoshino wasn’t scheduled to be back until the day after tomorrow. He was bone-tired-- Konoha’s relations with Iwa were still tense, even after the truce was established. Of course, Shikaku grumbled to himself, it didn’t help that the Tsuchikage was a stubborn old bat that didn’t know the meaning of the word 'compromise'. 

Tch. Troublesome. 

He woke after only a few hours of sleep and got ready to meet his little brother and his niece. There was a pit inside of Shikaku’s stomach that made him cringe, though he snapped out of his daze as soon as he heard a knock on his door. 

Haruki looked tired. That was the first thing that popped into Shikaku’s head when he opened the door. His face looked sunken and pale, his ANBU uniform hanging just a bit loosely on his frame. Haruki had a diaper bag tossed over one shoulder, his mask and weapon’s pouch clipped onto his belt on the other side. In his arms was a small bundle of blankets, a tuft of dark-- almost black-- hair peeking out. The bundle was fussing every few seconds and occasionally poking a pudgy fist out of the blankets. 

When Haruki looked up at his older brother, he didn’t smile, but his eyes did lose some of their hollowness. “Thank you for this nii-san. I know you just got back from a mission, but the only other person I trust to watch over Kazue-chan is Yoshino, and she’s gone…”

Shikaku narrowed his eyes at his brother imperceptibly, fighting the urge to frown. Haruki was in denial-- that much was clear. Shikaku himself had heard that Akane’s funeral had been a quiet affair a mere day after her passing, and that Haruki had only been present for an hour at the most. It was clear that his brother had yet to deal with his wife’s death, choosing to drown himself in ANBU once again instead. 

Haruki continued speaking, unaware of Shikaku’s musings. “I shouldn’t be gone for more than a week. I wanted to stay a bit longer, but my time off has been extended enough as it is. Everything you need is in this bag, so you should have no problem for the night. Besides, Kazue-chan is very self-aware for her age, and she’s pretty quiet.”

Shikaku stared at the bundle of blankets. “Are certain you have to leave now? Yoshino won’t be back until tomorrow from her mission, and I don’t particularly know how to take care of a child.”

His little brother snorted, glancing down at his daughter and adjusting his grip on her. “You’ll be fine, nii-san. It’s just for one night.”

“Tch. Fine, I’ll take Kazue-chan until you get back. Yoshino can help when she gets back as well.” Shikaku paused before continuing. “But you know we have to talk about this. Yoshino told me how you’ve been living, and now you’re throwing yourself back into ANBU? You can’t keep--”

“Not now,” Haruki snapped, making Shikaku blink in surprise, making Haruki sigh. “I know I haven’t been... well. I know, and we’ll talk, okay? Just… We’ll talk when I get back. Please.”

This time, Shikaku did let out a breath of air.“...Fine. You should go, Haruki, or you’ll be late.”

With a small upturn of the lips, Haruki gave his daughter to Shikaku, who awkwardly reached out to hold her in his arms. Shikaku tried not to panic when the baby began to shift and squirm. Nevertheless, the older Nara silent and observant as his little brother leaned in to Kazue’s level, eyes softening almost impossibly. 

He watched as his brother murmured, “Shh, it’s okay Kazue-chan. I’ll be back as soon as I can… you can stay with your Oji while I’m gone.” Haruki leaned down to press a quick kiss against his daughter’s forehead. Then, he shot his brother one last grateful glance before shunshining away. 

Shikaku was alone. Alone with a baby, and with no idea about how to care for her. Shikaku had to hold back a groan. 

He stepped inside his house, Kazue held firmly to him as he plopped down on the couch. 

“Hello, Kazue-chan. It’s nice to finally meet you.” Hesitantly, he grabbed Kazue under her arms to hold her up in front of him. “My name is Nara Shikaku, and I’m you’re Oji.”

The baby stared at him in what Shikaku could only label as tremendous confusion. Kazue looked just like a Nara-- along with the fair skin contrasting with her dark tufts of hair, though her hair looked like it would be wild and unruly, like Akane’s had been. Unlike a Nara’s dark orbs, Kazue also had Agarashi eyes-- stormy grey eyes, from the kind of storms that promise hours of rainfall, lightning, and thunder. 

Sadly, that was all Shikaku could take in before Kazue’s face scrunched up and she let out a deafening wail. 

Shit, Shikaku was having a really bad day. 

………….

Reincarnation was not something that Kazue had believed in in her previous life. She’d been raised in a Catholic household, though her parents hadn’t been truly strict about it. In all honesty, they’d hardly even gone to church. 

Kazue herself was mildly religious, but she had truly never bothered thinking about it. She’d spent the majority of her life focused on what was in front of her-- her career, her patients, her family, her relationships, her happiness. She’d never really spared a thought to the afterlife in general, much less what the afterlife had in store for her. 

She’d learned about it in school, of course. Certain religions were avid believers of reincarnation, good and bad karma… However, Kazue had never assumed reincarnation meant being reborn into a different universe altogether. 

Never had Kazue imagined that people could be reborn into fictional worlds. 

But as Kazue’s young, underdeveloped eyes stared at what was undoubtedly Nara Shikaku from the anime Naruto, Kazue didn’t know what to think. See, Kazue was normally a rational person. Her career as a criminal psychologist had required her to be logical, to think things through, to find the best possible cause or solution to a problem. She was quite embarrassed, then, to admit that she truly lost her shit. 

Poor Shikaku had no idea what to do. To be fair, Kazue had barely paid him any heed as he tried everything to get her to calm down. It had taken three hours before Kazue had exhausted herself to sleep, only for the freak-out to commence again a few hours later. 

By that time, Shikaku was in a panic, which finally snapped her out of her pity party. His hair was disheveled, eyes frantic. He was bouncing her on his hip as he paced, muttering frantically under his breath. “Haruki said she was calm, for Kami’s sake… maybe call a medic-nin… wait for Yoshino to get home, perhaps… maybe she just wants her tou-san…”

Hearing Shikaku, Kazue’s cries finally ceased down to a few hiccups and small cries. Shikaku turned to look at her half in relief, half in apprehension. Kazue could feel the snot on her face as she stared tearfully back at Shikaku.

“Kazue-chan… Are you feeling okay? I know you miss your tou-san, but you have to calm down…”

Kazue could feel her lower lip trembling, which made Shikaku’s eyes widen in silent alarm again, and commence his frantic babbling and cooing once again. 

But Kazue wasn’t listening. This is helping no one, Kazue scolded herself. She just had to think about this logically. What did she already know? 

One: Kazue had died, though she didn’t remember the actual moments of her death. Thought that was probably for the best. 

Two: She’d been reborn. Reincarnated… into the Naruto universe. That… would require some adjustment.

Three: She was somehow… Shikaku’s… niece? She’d had no idea that Shikaku had any siblings, but apparently he did. Shikaku looked young at the moment, maybe in his early twenties like her father. She also didn’t see any toys strewn about, so Shikamaru must not have been born yet. But he was married to Yoshino… so it was just a matter of time… right? Shikamaru’s going to be my cousin, Kazue thought almost hysterically. 

Four: Ninja existed. She was born into the Nara clan, which was kind of ironic. As much as Kazue wanted to say she was a go-with-the-flow type, that was a lie. In reality, Kazue had always needed something to do. She’d even get anxious if she slept for too long. Her hyperactivity would probably raise some eyebrows in the Nara clan. . 

Six: Chakra existed. She’d have to look more into that. As far as she knew, t was kind of like magic, considering how it defied all laws of physics. 

Seven: Her father was a professional killer. So was her new uncle, her new aunt… probably her mother had been one as well. She wondered if that was an improvement, considering her last family. 

Kazue snapped out of her daze when her uncle gave her another frantic bounce. Immediately, Kazue was filled with embarrassment. God, she’d probably scarred him for life. 

Belatedly, she realized that Shikaku was still speaking. “I’m sorry about this, Kazue-chan. Your tou-san will be back soon…”

So much for making a good first impression, Kazue cringed, clumsily patting a small, pudgy hand against her uncle’s cheek in silent apology. Now that she thought about it, Shikaku looked incredibly similar to Haruki. Almost unbiddingly, her mouth clumsily formed the word. “‘Ou-san.”

Shikaku shut his mouth with a click, staring at her in surprise. He stared deep into her eyes, and Kazue stared back curiously. 

Shikaku began to speak slowly and deliberately, gaze sharp and calculating. “Your tou-san won’t be back for another week, and you’ll be staying with me and my wife in the meantime. You remember Yoshino, right, Kazue-chan? She’ll be back in a few hours. Why don’t we get you some food and sleep before she gets back?”

In response, Kazue stuck her thumb in her mouth (teething was a bitch, okay?) and leaned her head back against Shikaku’s chest. In response, all tension seemed to leak from Shikaku’s body as he carried her to the kitchen. “Thank Kami,” he muttered exhaustedly under his breath. 

………….

Things were better after that hiccup. Kazue’s thoughts were on the future, or what was left of it, she thought morbidly. How long did ninja live, anyway? Not long, probably. And with her luck-- or lack thereof-- she’d probably be the first to perish. Joy. 

Shikaku was all too keen to leave her to her own ministrations, having exhausted himself after her temper tantrum. He still looked quite apprehensive, though the tension seemed to leak out of him over the hours. As much as Kazue wanted to continue thinking about her probable early demise, she quickly succumbed to sleep.

However, she quickly came to when she heard a conversation by the front door. She fussed on her cotton blanket, flailing her pudgy fists in the air and twisting around to finally squirm onto her stomach. Success! 

Kazue strained her ears to listen to the conversation in the other room, only to stop at what could either be a great epiphany or a moment of sheer stupidity. Channeling chakra to one’s feet made them stick to surfaces. Channeling it to one’s hands caused super-powered sucker punches, like Tsunade’s, and channeling it to one’s nose caused a better sense of smell. So why not try to channel it to her ears? 

Very carefully-- chakra exhaustion sounded like a sad way to die-- Kazue reached deep within her and reached out towards the small mass of energy inside of her. To be fair, Kazue had no idea what she was doing, but she still took hold of the smallest wisp of energy and channeled it to her ears. It was harder than she’d thought it would be, and having to concentrate for so long was causing a dull, pounding ache behind her eyes, but--

There! Holy shit. Kazue fought the urge to fist bump. She could hear them speaking!

“You have to help me, Yoshino. She wouldn’t stop crying for hours. She was asking for her tou-san, and I have no idea how to--”

“She was asking for her tou-san?” Yoshino said incredulously. 

Shikaku snorted. “Yes. She just stared me down-- like Akane used to do-- and said ‘tou-san.’” 

There was a pause, then--

“She said her first words and I wasn’t there?!” 

Kazue winced at the high-pitched squeal. 

Judging by Shikaku’s groan, he didn’t like it either. “Troublesome woman.”

Yoshino’s voice lowered dangerously, but remained sickly sweet. “What did you just say, dear husband?”

Kazue snorted when she heard a gulp, making the chakra connection cut off. Whoops. 

Yoshino and Shikaku made their way into the family room, and Kazue couldn’t help but babble in excitement as she saw Yoshino’s familiar face. She remembered the woman’s beautiful black locks and warm onyx eyes from her earlier days.

The woman in question grinned as she approached Kazue. Yoshino was sporting a matted and stained chunin uniform, made up of a mesh shirt underneath a chunin vest, loose pants tucked into bandages wrapped around her shins, and plain sandals. It was clear, judging by the bags under Yoshino’s eyes and the mysterious crimson stains on her clothing, that her mission had been long and arduous. 

Yoshino scooped Kazue up and set her on her hip. “Hi, Kazue-chan! Your Oji told me you weren’t feeling well, but your tou-san won’t be back for a few days, honey. You’ll stay with us in the meantime, though. And you know what? It’ll be so much fun!” She lowered her voice conspiratorially. “Your Oji knows the best game that we can play.” She glanced back at Shikaku, who had plopped down on the couch, eyes closed. Upon hearing his name, one of his eyes cracked open a sliver to stare blankly back at them. “He can show you his shadow animals!”

Oh, that sounded like a jutsu! She really wanted to see the laws of physics being broken. Kazue grabbed onto a lock of Yoshino’s hair and tugged on it in excitement. Yoshino laughed in response, eyes glimmering. 

The darkening skies outside offered the perfect shadows when combined with the lights in the backyard. Kazue stared around curiously as they settled down. Even in semi-darkness, Kazue could see an impeccably-kept lawn leading up to the outskirts of a forest, marked with a beautiful combination of pines and firs and redwoods. 

Shikaku knelt down in front of them and, faster than any human should be able to move, went through a sequence of seals. Finally, he muttered, “Kagemane no jutsu!”

Nothing happened, until--

Kazue gaped. 

Black tendrils had begun to make their way lazily up the wall, shifting and forming together into animals such as dogs, deer, or birds. 

These weren’t normal shadows. They were pitch black and matte, not transparent unlike the usual shadows. It looked more like a tar-like substance, though it wasn’t three-dimensional at all. Idly, Kazue wondered how could a two-dimensional, abstract concept obtain physical capabilities. 

Shikaku shot Yoshino and inscrutable look before canceling the jutsu. He stared at Kazue considerably, almost as if in a new light, before speaking. “That was a Nara clan technique. When our clan first came to inhabit the Nara forest, our ancestors noticed that Nara deer antlers contained various medicinal properties. They began to seek ways to catch the deer without hurting them. Thus, they developed these shadow techniques, unique to our clan.” He paused, glancing considerably at Kazue, before continuing. “This formed the foundation of what our clan is known for. First,” Shikaku held up a finger, “the Nara are known for their research facilities that work in conjunction with Konoha’s hospitals. Secondly,” he held up another finger, “and most importantly, we’re known for our shadow techniques. They have many uses, including--”

Yoshino stiffened, and Shikaku broke off. Kazue craned her head back to look up at her aunt, but Yoshino was already standing, face impassive. “Let’s get you some food, ne, Kazue-chan?” Her voice had a forced cheerfulness to it. 

..........................

For Kazue, the rest of the week passed by uneventfully. After the initial shock of having fictional characters as family wore off, Kazue was able to get to know her new aunt and uncle. Though she didn’t remember much about the show itself, she knew that she liked Shikaku. He was, after all, one of the only people that told Shikamaru to do what he thought was best in terms of Naruto. Many other kids were told by their parents to stay away from the blond haired orphan, and Kazue had always thought that was ridiculous. He was an innocent kid! 

Shikaku was younger than what she’d remembered, still in his early twenties. Though lean and tall, Shikaku’s trademark slouch made him appear much shorter than he actually was. He had two thick scars running down the left side of his face, his hair piled up atop his head in traditional Nara fashion along with a short goatee. More often than not, he sported a short-sleeved mesh shirt beneath his jounin uniform, even when lounging at home. 

Naturally, Shikaku wasn’t an affectionate individual, but it was clear that he still cared. Once they had all settled down, he gave Kazue a small plush deer and let her sit on his lap as he worked. 

Yoshino, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. She loved spending hours reading and playing with Kazue on the floor. On the surface, Nara Yoshino seemed like a very stern woman, as she were though waiting to find something so she could scold Shikaku. However, there were certain moments in which Yoshino’s face smoothed out, in which her eyes warmed and glittered and her sparkling laugh filled the room. In those moments, Kazue could understand why Shikaku fell in love with Yoshino. 

Considered her last family, Kazue was initially caught off guard by Yoshino’s maternal behavior. However, she quickly grew to cherish it. Kazue knew that she was technically older than her aunt and uncle, but didn’t really care. 

There were no more backyard puppet shows, but that didn’t stop Kazue from being curious. Now that she was somewhat in control of her own mind and body, Kazue’s thoughts kept circling back to chakra. As she began to gain control of her mind, Kazue became increasingly aware of this… thrumming energy all around her. Interestingly enough, she began to feel her aunt or uncle before they even walked into the room. 

She couldn’t be sure it was completely normal, though, judging by the manner in which Shikaku’s face became contemplative every time Kazue turned to the doorway just before Yoshino walked into a room. 

The rest of the week passed uneventfully. By the end of it, Kazue could unrepentantly admitted that she missed her tou-san. She wasn’t used to being away from his familiar presence for so long. 

Kazue was playing with Yoshino one day when she felt a wisp of something familiar. 

Immediately, Kazue stopped grabbing at the blocks in Yoshino’s hands and craned her neck towards the front entrance in confusion. By then, Shikaku had ceased reading his scroll and was staring at her, eyebrows raised. 

There was a knock on the door, and Shikaku picked himself up from the floor to answer it. 

Yoshino grinned at Kazue. “Who do you think that is, Kazue-chan?”

Kazue’s eyes widened excitedly. Haruki was home! With some effort, she maneuvered her body into a clumsy, slow scrawl towards the door. Yoshino let out a quiet chuckle. 

Kazue had barely taken a peek of the black shinobi pants tucked into matching bandages before she was being scooped up and pressed into a very familiar chest. Kazue didn’t even blink before clumsily wrapping her arms around her tou-san and leaning into his embrace, giggling happily. Screw the fact that she was technically closer to thirty-two years of age; she’d missed him!

It was obvious he’d just gotten back from the mission. Though his familiar scent was there, he still smelled of sweat and the outdoors, as well as something resembling iron or rust--

Oh. 

Oh, well. Kazue supposed that smelling like blood would be a part of a Shinobi’s job description. 

Kazue felt Haruki’s relieved chuckle as he adjusted his grip to prop her on his hip, finally giving Kazue a good look at her tou-san. 

Nara Haruki was not a copy of his older brother, though there were a lot of similarities. Haruki possessed the same hairline as Shikaku, though his hair was gathered closer to the nape of his neck, and possessed a lighter shade, though still very close to black. Her tou-san was smaller, lacked the lines around his mouth and had slightly more rounded eyes.

Haruki carried himself in a slightly different manner, too. Instead, her father had a gentler air about him. He was simply less aloof than his brother. More approachable, perhaps. 

Maybe it was the look in his eyes. Haruki’s eyes were far more expressive than Shikaku’s, who often had hooded, impassive stares. 

Kazue was snapped out of her thoughts when Haruki bounced her in his hip, smiling down at her warmly. Something in Kazue’s chest constricted. This… this was a strange concept for Kazue. An almost overwhelming amount of gratefulness swept through Kazue in that moment. She never thought she’d get to experience a father’s love. 

“Did you miss me, Kazue-chan?” Haruki murmured kindly, eyes twinkling. He should smile more often, Kazue decided. It made the bags less pronounced, and made him look younger. 

Kazue brought up a hand and tugged on his hair lightly, her mouth forming the now more familiar words. “‘Ou-san!”

That made him freeze. “Sorry, what?” He asked faintly. 

Yoshino chose that moment to jump in. “She’s been saying that this entire week! She really missed you, Haruki-kun.”

Haruki stared at her for a few seconds longer, mouth agape. Maybe I broke him, Kazue thought.

Haruki’s eyes became suspiciously glassy before he tightened his grip on her and buried his face in her neck. She could feel his grin as he whispered, “I missed you too, Arashi-chan.”

Storm-chan? Cool. 

Yoshino’s voice cut through the heart-felt moment. “You’ll be staying for dinner, Haruki-kun, right?”

Kazue was amused at the fact that Yoshino's words had sounded more like a command than a question. 

Haruki straightened up, shooting Yoshino and his brother a grateful look. “That would be lovely, Yoshino. I’m afraid that I’ve had nothing but ration bars this past week. I could do with a warm meal.”  
Yoshino nodded briskly, all-business. “I’ll make extra so you can take a few portions home,” she declared, before marching into the kitchen. It wasn’t long before the clatter of pots and pans filled the air. 

The two brothers made their way into the family room once again and settled down on the couch. Kazue noticed that her father’s outfit consisted of a skin-tight, sleeveless black top with a grey vest on top, along with black arm bandages and arm guards in the same grey color. 

Kazue felt the rumbles of Haruki’s chest as he spoke. “How did Kazue-chan behave this past week, nii-san?”

Shikaku hummed as he leaned back on the couch. “The first night was a mess, truthfully. Kazue threw a fit as soon as you left.” The clan head leaned his head back and threw an arm over his eyes. 

Kazue tried not to look chagrined at that. 

“She threw a fit?” Haruki restated in surprise. “She’d never done that before.”

“That’s unsurprising. You did leave her with a stranger, even if I am her uncle.”

“That’s true,” Haruki amended. “How about the rest of the week?”

The Nara clan head shrugged. “She was fine as soon as Yoshino came home.” Shikaku paused. “Kazue-chan is very intelligent for her age. Very self aware.”

Haruki hummed in agreement, warm and low. “Yeah. I’ve been noticing that these past few weeks. Ever since she’s started sleeping less. She’s a curious little thing.”

Shikaku’s voice was nonchalant. “Just like her mother.”

Haruki stiffened at that, and Kazue froze as well. She craned her neck up to glance at her tou-san. He smiled-- if a bit tightly-- down at her. “...Yeah, I suppose.”

Shikaku sighed, then straightened up in his seat. “Haruki,” his voice was both a warning and a plea. 

Haruki’s arms tightened against Kazue almost imperceptibly before he sighed heavily. “It’s been six months, nii-san. Kazue-chan is growing so fast… she needs her mother, not me.”

Something inside of Kazue broke upon hearing that.

Shikaku glanced sharply at his younger brother. “Don’t,” he snapped. “A daughter needs her father, as well. You can’t change what happened to Akane, Otouto. You have the right to grieve, but don’t dwell on the impossible. You must adjust.” Shikaku’s tone softened a fraction. “You need to start moving on. I’ve spoken to Inoichi and he agreed that sessions with him would be a good idea.”

“Move on?” There was something hollow in Haruki’s tone that made Kazue heart drop in her chest. “I don’t even know if that’s possible.”

“We’ve all lost people, Haruki,” Shikaku said quietly. “You can’t keep living this way. If not for you, then do it for your daughter.”

Haruki let out a breath. “...I’ll talk to Inoichi tomorrow.”

Yoshino’s yell broke the tense atmosphere. “Shikaku, come set the table!”

Shikaku groaned. “Troublesome woman,” he muttered. 

“What did you just say, dear husband?”

“Nothing, dear!”

..............................

The next few days blurred into weeks. Her tou-san was gone for half of that time. In those moments, Kazue stayed at Shikaku’s house, with either Yoshino or Shikaku-- or both-- taking care of her. 

Before, Kazue had always been talkative. That, at least had not changed. It seemed that her family had also noticed, because they began reading to her every day. While it was true that Kazue did speak Japanese, she’d never gotten around to learning kanji. She spent some of their reading sessions staring dubiously at the confusing scribbles. 

In Kazue’s past life, she hadn’t had much of… anything, with her parents. Kazue’s mother before had been a strict woman. Nothing had ever been good enough in her mother’s eyes. It didn’t count for shit that Kazue had graduated high school early, or that she had received her PhD in psychology before hitting twenty-five. If there was someone better-- which there always was-- then Kazue’s best wasn’t good enough. Still, it took Kazue an embarrassing amount of time to stop caring about her mother’s opinion. 

Kazue’s father Before had been even worse. He had been a cold, calculating businessman who had cared more about his own success than his family welfare. His dubious morals and hidden agendas had always made her question if he truly cared for any of his family.  
In her past-life, Kazue also had a lot of trouble making friends. Half of the kids in her classes sneered down at her for being so young, while the other half would shoot her weird looks for being so hyperactive. They called her a freak, a goody-two-shoes, a try-hard. That was why Kazue had picked psychology as her career. She’d always wanted to understand people, to be able to connect with them. 

But… there had been him. 

Ultimately, it had been him that had saved her from having a lonesome childhood. With his chipped-tooth smile that he’d received by falling off the swings when they were little.... Him, with his chocolate brown eyes and the widest smile she’d ever seen--

Stop. 

Kazue had been foolish to think that having a new life would have erased the pain of losing him. It was still there, just like before. A hole in her heart, a hollowness in her chest that ached incessantly. It hurt most when she was alone in her crib. 

Kazue didn’t realize she’d been crying until she heard footsteps looming closer. Kazue felt herself being scooped up and pressed against a familiar t-shirt-clad chest, could hear his quiet coos. “Shh, it’s okay, Kazue-chan. I’m here.” His voice was still heavy with sleep, but no less affectionate. 

Kazue reached up to wrap her small arms around his neck tightly. She could feel the thumping of his heart, warm and steady. 

“What’s wrong, Arashi-chan?”

Kazue sniffed loudly. “Bad dream,” she mumbled. 

She felt Haruki’s hand rubbing her back, soothing her. “It’s okay. You’re safe, Kazue-chan. Do you want to sleep in my room for the rest of the night?”

Kazue nodded slowly against his chest.

They settled on her father’s bed, and soon Kazue could feel his breaths evening out. With his warm presence around her, Kazue fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helloooo! Another chapter is up, so enjoy! :D

Kazue was approaching ten months in her new life when she finally started meeting more people. In that time, Kazue was proud to say that she no longer required sleeping during the day. She’d also finally achieved her first steps a few weeks prior, much to her father’s and aunt’s joy, and Shikaku’s dismay. 

In all fairness, Kazue had gone almost ten months without being able to walk, so she was bursting with energy. As soon as she’d gained enough motor function, Kazue was zooming around the house, laughing madly. While her tou-san and aunt Yoshino loved chasing after her, simultaneously gleeful to see her so active and worried that she’d fall, Shikaku would always find something to distract her from running. Whether it be reading her books, letting her sit on his lap while he worked, or taking her outside to do some cloud-watching. Though she was always amused at his attempts to get her to stay in one place, Kazue still loved hanging out with her uncle. 

In that time, her father had been on active duty, though he made an effort to take short missions. The longest he’d been gone so far had been three weeks, which had seemed to crawl by for Kazue. 

For his latest mission, though, Haruki had only been gone for five days before he was back. 

Kazue scrambled off Shikaku’s lap clumsily as soon as she felt her father’s chakra and ran towards the front door. “Tou-san! Tou-san!”

Haruki chuckled as soon as he saw Kazue barreling down towards him. He scooped her up with a flourish, making Kazue laugh. “You’re early!”

Haruki nodded, and Kazue was pleased to note that he didn’t look as tired as he usually did. Kazue worried for her father most times. There were times in which Kazue would run home to greet Haruki when he got back from a mission, only to see him, uniform splattered with what could only be blood, an absent look in his eyes that terrified Kazue to the bone. In those moments, sometimes it would take hours to make Haruki smile again. Whenever it got really bad, he’d just sit on his bed, staring absently down at his hands. 

Today was a good day for him. The dark circles under Haruki’s eyes were less pronounced, and his face looked less haggard. 

Kazue felt something warm spread in her chest when he grinned down at her. “Yes. The assignment took less time than I thought it would. We’ve also been given a week off.”

Kazue’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Haruki nodded, before glancing past her and at Shikaku. “Nii-san,” he greeted, smiling. 

Shikaku offered up a lazy salute. “It’s a good thing that you’ll be staying for some time, Haruki. Your daughter has been a handful this week,” he drawled. 

Haruki glanced down inquisitively at Kazue, who broke out into a sheepish smile. “I wanted to play hide and seek, but Shikaku-oji wouldn’t move!”

Haruki laughed. “Sometimes it seems like Kazue-chan is the only motivated Nara in existence, ne?” His voice then softened. “Just like her kaa-chan.”

Kazue blinked. That was rare. Even after all of these months, Haruki rarely liked to talk about Kazue’s mother. Though Kazue was curious, she knew better than to ask. 

Shikaku huffed, lightening the mood. “Take my niece and scram, Otouto. I have a meeting in ten minutes.”

“Sure. Will Yoshino be back tomorrow?’

Shikaku nodded, gathering his scrolls. “Yeah. She wants you both here for dinner tomorrow, as well, so you better come or else she’ll have my hide.”

Haruki chuckled as he made his way to the front door. “We’ll be there,” he called back. “Your hide is safe, nii-san!”

They made their way out of the Nara clan head’s house and over to their own abode. Kazue twisted around to look up at Haruki. “Tou-san, play hide and seek?” 

“I don’t see why not. I do have a surprise for today, though.”

Kazue’s eyebrows scrunched together. “Sur-prise?” She moved over the syllables carefully. 

Haruki set her down as they walked into their home, and she waddled after him. “Yes, Kazue-chan.” He knelt down in front of her, peering down at her carefully. “How do you feel about meeting my team today?”

Kazue’s eyes widened. She hadn’t been expecting that. “Team?”

Haruki nodded. “It’s the people I’m with while I’m away.”

“How many?”

“Usually, I’m in a squad with three other teammates. But today, you’ll only be meeting two of them. They should be coming over in half an hour. How does that sound?”

“Okay, tou-san!”

Haruki broke out into a smile and ruffled her hair. “I’ll go take a quick shower before they arrive, okay?”

Kazue nodded again, and Haruki ambled off to his room. 

Suddenly, Kazue felt nervous. Growing up, she’d always been nervous of meeting new people. See, many had found her disconcerting, if a bit intimidating. She hadn’t gotten along well with adults, either. As a child, many had always been condescending towards her, which always made Kazue uncomfortable. So far, she was glad that her family treated her like an equal. Hopefully Haruki’s teammates would treat her similarly. 

While Kazue could hear the shower going, she went back into her room to stare at the full length mirror on the wall. Kazue kind of looked like a Nara. She certainly had inherited their pale complexion, as well as their onyx locks, though Kazue’s hair wasn’t smooth and shiny at all. Instead, her hair was curly and messy, as though she’d been shocked with static. Kazue had later learned that one of the reasons why Haruki had nicknamed her Arashi-chan was because her hair was always so wild. 

Kazue’s face structure was also quite similar to Haruki’s as far as Kazue could tell. Kazue even had the same shaped eyes as her father, though her grey eyes had to be her mother’s. 

“Kazue-chan?” Her tou-san called out.

She came out just in time to hear the knocking on the door. Haruki walked out of the bathroom, sporting his casual wear and running a small towel through his damp hair. 

Kazue latched on to her father’s pant-leg and hid partially behind him as he opened the door, revealing two young men, both sporting typical jonin ensembles. 

Haruki’s posture loosened when he laid eyes on his teammates and shot them a crinkly-eyed smile. 

The older of the two seemed eerily familiar. He looked around the same age as Haruki, if a bit taller and broader. He had taner skin that Kazue and light brown short spikes of hair, along with murky blue eyes. Most distinguished, though, were the brown markings around his eyes-- a short line under each eye that vaguely resembled an upside down cat-eye. 

The other man looked a couple of years younger than Haruki. He had decidedly light features-- blond hair that boderlined on white (though unlike the Hatake silver hair) and almost translucent eyes. He had a wiry built about him, and a presence that exuded friendliness. 

The blond man bounded into the apartment as soon as the door opened and ran into the kitchen. “You better have some of Yoshino-san’s leftovers somewhere, Haruki,” he called out. “You haven’t brought any to training in weeks!”

Haruki rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “Fridge, second shelf on the left,” he called back, and Kazue heard a triumphant whoop. 

The broader man in front of them rolled his eyes. “I swear that Yuri is a bottomless pit,” he huffed, before glancing down curiously at Kazue, who was still hidden behind Haruki’s leg. “And unobservant, too.”

Haruki bent down and carefully pried Kazue’s fingers from his pant leg before scooping her up and propping her on his hip. She was now at eye-level with the strange Shinobi. 

Kazue blinked at the man in front of her, and he blinked curiously back at her. “Hello,” she said. 

There was a sudden, muffled voice behind them. “Oh my god, is that the chibi?”

Kazue twisted around, just in time to see the Yuri’s head peek out the kitchen, a single noodle hanging from his mouth before it was slurped up. 

The broader man sighed. “Some manners, please, Yuri?”

“That sounds boring, Isamu,” Yuri shot back, before moving back into the kitchen. Seconds later, though, he was back in front of them, empty-handed. 

Haruki chuckled. “Kazue-chan, these are my teammates. That,” he pointed to Yuri, “is Nakamura Yuri, and the other man is Sarutobi Isamu.”

Holy shit. Sarutobi… maybe that was Asuma’s older brother. 

“Hello, tou-san’s team-mates,” Kazue said, offering them a small smile. She tried not to squirm too much as they stared at her. 

“Hey Haruki,” Yuri asked, not taking his eyes off of Kazue. “How old is chibi-chan?”

“Ten months old,” Haruki shot back smugly. 

Yuri gaped. Isamu’s eyes widened in surprise. 

Suddenly, Yuri chortled. “Chibi-chan is a little prodigy!”

Haruki rolled his eyes before thrusting Kazue into Yuri’s arms. “You guys can play with Kazue while I make dinner,” he called back. 

Kazue turned to look back at Yuri, who had frozen in place, holding her an arm’s length in front of him. Well, this is awkward. Yuri’s gaze shifted pleadingly to Isamu, who had been watching them in amusement. “Um… a little help here, Isamu?”

Isamu snorted before reaching out for Kazue. “That’s not how you hold her at all. You’re making her uncomfortable.” He carefully and deliberately held her to his chest, just like Haruki had done. 

Yuri snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. “Well, not all of us have nieces that we babysit every week.”

“My wife’s sister has been pretty busy lately running her shop,” Isamu shot back. “I asked you that one time if you wanted to come, and you all but ran for the hills.” He turned back to Kazue, staring at her with calculating interest. Perhaps calculating gazes was a shinobi thing, Kazue mused. Or maybe Kazue was just weird. She’d been that way before, too. “Nice to meet you, Kazue-chan. We’ve heard a lot about you.” Isamu said politely. 

Kazue offered up a shy smile. 

Yuri gaped. “She looks exactly like--”

Isamu glanced at his teammate sharply, and Yuri cut himself off. 

Yuri cleared his throat nervously. “Anyway-- uh, yeah, nice to meet you, Kazue-chan.”

And then there was silence. 

Awkward. 

Kazue reached up and tugged on Isamu’s hair restlessly. “Hide and seek?” 

“Sure,” Isamu smiled, and Yuri grinned. 

From that moment on, two people had been added to Kazue’s little family.

………...

Weeks flew by, and soon Kazue found herself a few days away from her first birthday.

In the week that her father had been given off, she’d spent a lot of time with Yuri and Isamu. Apparently, Isamu had been on Haruki’s genin team, so they’d known each other for years. In Yuri’s case, he was civilian-born and a year younger than Haruki and Isamu. They’d known each other for some time, but became close friends when first placed together in a squad. Kazue had asked Haruki when she’d be able to meet their remaining member, but Haruki had responded that he was on another mission. Apparently he was their squad captain, and his absence was why they’d been given some time off. 

Kazue loved spending time with her tou-san’s comrades. She loved playing pretend games with Yuri, especially since he made the best impressions. Mainly, it reminded her of some of her best memories in the Before. When she played with Yuri, Kazue could remember another lifetime of pretend games, could almost hear his laughter in her ear... 

Spending time with Isamu was different, but no less enjoyable. The second time he’d visited, he’d brought Kazue a stuffed monkey. This was something Kazue found utterly fitting, and she cherished it dearly. 

Of course, there was also her tou-san. She loved him more than anything. Haruki understood her best. He always spoke to her like an equal, always read her stories without fail, held her if she had any nightmares. It turns out that Haruki was also great at cooking. Lately, Haruki had taken to propping her on his hip while he cooked around the kitchen. 

Soon, the week was over. Haruki and his teammates left on yet another mission, leaving Kazue with her remaining family. 

When it came to spending time with Shikaku, Kazue was always calmer. Kazue was also starting to understand Nara language. Though Shikaku would grumble and yawn every time she arrived at his home, Kazue could now catch the pleased or amused glint in his eyes. Every time she held her arms to be picked up, he’d always mutter, “troublesome niece,” but scooped her up with an extra flourish regardless. 

Shikaku had recently started to tell her a few of the more light-hearted stories about the Nara clan and the village. He also began taking her on strolls around the outskirts of the Nara forest, and Kazue even caught glimpses of the Nara deer’s gleaming fur. 

Yoshino seemed committed so keeping Kazue as ordinary as possible, so she never mentioned anything regarding the shinobi or clan life. Instead, Yoshino focused on playing various mental exercises with Kazue. She was always encouraging her to expand her vocabulary, or reading her various stories, or chasing after her as she waddled around the house. 

Soon, two months went by. It was the last week of August, and Haruki’s squad had been given the weekend off. That Saturday, Kazue woke to the smell of miso soup of broiled fish.

Haruki came into her room not even two minutes after she woke up. Her father swooped down and began to tickle her, making her shriek with laughter. 

“Good morning, Kazue-chan! It’s a very special day today, ne?” He was smiling down at her, eyes crinkled. 

Huh? Kazue tilted her head in confusion. 

He poked her nose gently. “It’s very special. Someone very important to me is turning one year-old today.”

Kazue blinked in surprise. “Today?”

Haruki nodded as he scooped her up. “Yes. It’s your birthday today, Kazue-chan? Do you remember Yoshino’s birthday a few weeks ago? It’s just like that.”

Kazue was astounded. A year had passed in her new life and she’d barely even noticed. Granted, she’d been asleep for most of it, but still!

Haruki carried her into the kitchen, where the smell of breakfast became even stronger. Kazue’s mouth watered. She adored miso soup and broiled fish, especially since it reminded her of the times she used to make it for him in the Before… 

A thought stuck her, and Kazue turned to her father eagerly. “Cake?”

The man in question laughed throatily. “Yes, Kazue-chan. We’ll have cake. But not until this afternoon. We’ll be exploring the village today, and then meeting up with everyone else for dinner. How does that sound?”

Holy shit. They were going to see the village today? For the past year, Kazue had spent all of her conscious time within the Nara compound. 

Kazue decided to break the comfortable silence once they began eating. “The village?” She parroted back. 

Haruki pressed a napkin to his mouth before speaking, watching her intently. “Yes. We’re living in the Nara compound now. Do you remember what Shikaku-oji told you about the Nara clan?”

Kazue nodded, reciting back what her uncle had told her. “Our clan is im-por-tant for deer and shadows.” That was a very simple way to put it, but Kazue’s vocabulary still wasn’t great.

“That’s right. Our family is part of a clan, but there are other clans like ours. All of these clans live together in the same village. It’s called Konohagakure.”

“Konoha?”

Haruki nodded, pleased. “That’s the village that I work for. So does your uncle and aunt, and my teammates. Isamu is from the Sarutobi clan, for example. We all serve the village and protect it.”

Kazue sat in silence, pondering. It was obvious that Haruki had planned this carefully. Truthfully, she wasn’t sure why she hadn’t seen the village prior to this moment, but she figured it had to do with her mother’s passing. From what she remembered, Haruki had short of locked himself in the house for six months. After that time, he’d been out on various missions. Perhaps he wanted to keep her safe inside of the compound? From the hints she’d picked up, the Third War should already be over.

After breakfast, they set off, Kazue held snugly in her father’s arms. As they walked to the outskirts of the compound, Kazue began to feel a growing sense of curiosity. 

Kazue was snapped out of her train of thought upon seeing the young chunin guarding the compound entrance. She almost snorted when she saw them snoozing behind the checkpoint desk. 

“Hello,” Haruki called out in amusement.

At that, the two chunin scrambled to their feet. “Haruki-sama,” the taller Nara stammered out. His gaze snapped to Kazue, and his eyes bulged. “H-hello, Kazue-sama!”

Kazue grimaced. Nope. No thanks. “Hi...”

It seemed like Haruki felt the same. “No need for honorifics, boys. We’re just heading out for a stroll.”

The smaller boy nodded quickly. “Hai, Haruki-sam--uh, Haruki-san, Kazue-san. Have a nice day!”

Haruki nodded amiably, and they were off. 

As they walked through the village, Kazue’s eyes were wide and darting around, trying to take in everything at once. If she could describe Konoha in one word, it would probably be lively. The entire village was full of noises and smells and people and life. Though there were buildings and structures of all colors, shapes, and sizes, it all seemed to fit. Haruki walked slowly and silently, allowing Kazue to take in everything around her.

And truly, it was a shock. As they neared the center of the city, the Hokage monument finally became visible beyond the trees. Kazue’s mouth dropped open. Kazue had never been to Mt. Rushmore, but she figured it was similar to that. In this case, though, the Hokage monument overlooked the entire village, as though all of its Hokage-- past and present-- were watching over it and keeping it safe. 

For the first time, Kazue was able to take in her new home, and the people in it. As they walked, Kazue saw children walking hand-in-hand with mothers and fathers. She saw vendors on the side of the street advertising anything from fresh fruits and vegetables to newspapers to freshly grilled meats. She saw young men and women wearing standard issue shinobi wear ambling past them every once in a while. At one point, a young genin ran past them, a small dog sporting a Konoha hitai ate right at her heels. 

What really blew Kazue’s mind, though, was the police. At times, Kazue and Haruki walked by two-people squads of what could only be Uchiha Police Force members, judging by their regal bone structure, signature black hair and eyes… and more obviously, the Uchiha clan symbol emblazoned proudly on their backs. At that moment, a group of teenage policemen walked past, nodding at them politely. 

Something jerked suddenly in Kazue’s peripheral vision, and she shifted her gaze up. What--

Kazue gaped. Along the rooftops were people! Shinobi, to be more precise. Various ninjas were running atop the roofs in various directions. At one point, she saw a group of three kids along with an older jonin making their way to the Hokage tower. 

Haruki had shifted his gaze to her as they walked. 

“They look like you, tou-san.”

Haruki hummed in agreement. “Yes. They do the same kind of work as I do.”

“Can you do that too?”

Her father stared at her intently before shifting his gaze upwards to the shinobi on the roof. “Yes. So can Yuri and Isamu. And your aunt and uncle.” He paused, before carefully saying, “You could do that too, but it takes practice. We can talk about that some other day.”

Yikes. Kazue didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed. 

In any case, the matter was closed for the moment. They continued exploring the village for the rest of the morning. Though they didn’t go inside, Kazue did see the Hokage tower. It was an impressive red structure of interesting architecture, fenced in on all sides. What was truly fascinating though, was the flurry of activity in the vicinity. Flashes of green shinobi uniforms could be seen constantly, with various people making their way in and out of the building. Kazue caught sight of more than one genin team, most likely getting their next D-rank mission. They also walked past the academy, which was adjacent to the Hokage tower and similar in structure. 

At noon, Haruki bought some dango and they ate them in the park. From where they were seated, Kazue could see a gaggle of kids playing ninja in the playground, taking advantage of the fact that it was their day off. Kazue didn’t immediately recognize anyone, though she did see one or two Inuzuka ninken running around. 

They remained in the park for hours, alternating between playing hide-and-seek and having Haruki read outloud to her whenever she got tired. 

After reading her a story about a daring escape from Kumo, Haruki glanced up at the sky. “Ready to go, Kazue-chan? It’s time for your birthday dinner.”

That caught Kazue’s interest. “Cake?” 

Haruki chuckled, ruffling her curly locks, which were starting to reach the nape of her neck. “That’s right. Everyone should be there already, so we should get going.” Something seemed to occur to him in that moment, and he glanced down at Kazue with newfound excitement. “Kazue-chan, do you remember the people on the roof?”

Kazue nodded curiously. 

“Do you want to do that too? We’ll get to the restaurant a lot faster.”

Kazue grinned in excitement. “Yes, please!”

Traveling by rooftop was both terrifying and exhilarating. She wasn’t worried that her father would drop her or anything, but it was hard to reconcile with the fact that they were traveling faster than what should be humanly possible. 

An elder man with markings on his cheeks greeted them as they walked into the restaurant. “Haruki-san,” he said politely. “Welcome back.” He smiled down at Kazue. “Happy birthday, little one.”

Kazue offered the man a smile in return, pressing her head against Haruki’s chest. “Thank you, sir.”

“It’s good to see you again, Akihiro-san,” Haruki replied. “Is everyone else here?”

“Yes. They’re back in the private parlor reserved for festivities. We’re honored that you chose this establishment for such a fine celebration.”

“The honor is all ours, Akihiro-san. The Akimichi dining establishments are the best in the village.”

Akihiro-san beamed. “Well, I won’t hold you up any longer. Have a great meal.”

Haruki and Kazue bed their thanks and walked deeper into the restaurant, until finally arriving at the more secluded parlor. Haruki slid the door open, and Kazue was met with a heart-warming sight. 

“Happy birthday, Kazue-chan! Stand up, Shikaku!”

“I’m going, I’m going…”

“I can’t bewieve the wittle chiwi-chan is a year old, now!”

“Stop chewing with your mouth open, Yuri!”

Sitting along the long circular table was her entire family. Yoshino was beaming down at her, camera in hand; Shikaku was slumped down on his chair next to her, but smirking at her lazily; Yuri was waving at Kazue, eyes already roving around in search of more food; Isamu was looking at her happily, though his hand had risen up to smack Yuri in the back of the head. But there was another man rolling his eyes at the young men, a man with-- 

Holy Shit. 

It was very disconcerting to see a man with pupil-less eyes. He looked a few years older than Haruki, and was clad in a standard issue jonin uniform. He was wearing a bandana that included his hitai ate, and his brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. 

The man in question nodded politely at them. 

Kazue turned to look up curiously at her father, who was grinning at the Hyuga clan member. “It’s great to see you Hiroshi, thank you for coming. Kazue-chan, this is Hyuga Hiroshi, the remaining team mate that you hadn’t had a chance to meet yet. Hiroshi, this is my daughter.”

Oh. That makes sense. “Nice to meet you, Hi-ro-shi-san.”

At that, Hiroshi raised an eyebrow. Yuri chortled. “Didn’t you know, Hiwoshi? Chibi-chan is a wittle genius!”

Isamu exhaled roughly in exasperation. “I told you not to talk with your mouth open, Yuri!”

“Sorry!”

Hiroshi rolled his eyes again, though the corner of his lips were lifted. “Nice to meet you as well, Kazue-chan.” He said politely, looking at her curiously. “I apologize for our delayed meeting; I’ve been indisposed as of late.”

Kazue shrugged, giggling as Yuri made another grab for a piece of grilled octopus.

Next to them, Yoshino was already reaching for Kazue, and Haruki handed her over with no complaints. “Happy birthday, Kazue-chan! I can’t believe she’s already one! Time flies by so fast, doesn’t it?”

Haruki chuckled, before settling down between Yuri and Shikaku. “It’s hard to believe. But thank you all for coming today. I really appreciate you being here for Kazue’s birthday.”

“There’s nowhere we’d rather be, Haruki,” Isamu said kindly. 

“Well,” said Yoshino, clapping her hands together rather forcefully and snapping Shikaku out of his doze. Haruki snorted in amusement. “Let’s eat, shall we?”

The following hours were some of the best in Kazue’s new life. They dined on grilled barbeque-- an impressive assortment of meats and vegetables cooked on a grill in the middle of the table. 

Kazue was finally able to see the dynamic of her father’s entire team as well, and was surprised by how well they all got along together. It was clear very quickly that Hiroshi was their leader of sorts, since he mostly sat back and observed as the team bantered, occasionally contributing his own well-placed jabs or rolling his eyes in amusement. Kazue was transferred back to Haruki for a time, who’d placed her in his lap. She spent some time snickering at Yuri’s lame jokes and admiring the amount of food he was able to consume before Yoshino snatched her up once again. 

As time passed by, food did not stop coming. Waiter after waiter kept coming, arms piled high with various plates. Kazue stared in confusion whenever they came in. It didn’t seem possible to have that many plates stacked on their bodies. How did they not fall off? 

Oh. Duh. 

It must have been chakra. The waiters-- most of them retired Akimichi members-- were most likely… what? Maybe lining their arms in a thin layer of chakra?

Did that mean that Kazue could make anything stick to her body? Kazue snorted inwardly, picturing herself with spoons sticking to her entire face. She could be a human magnet!

Something glittered in the corner of her eye, and Kazue saw a serving spoon on the table next to her. She chewed on the inside of her cheek absently as she thought. If a waiter could balance a lot of plates by lining his arms with chakra, then could a fork stick to her palm if she channeled chakra to it? 

She’d never tried that before. The extent of Kazue’s current chakra usage was briefly channeling it places before becoming exhausted. She’d done it a few times to strengthen her senses, but could only hold it for a few minutes at the most. 

Kazue put her palm down flat on the spoon and very carefully sent a thin wisp of chakra to her hand. When she felt like the chakra was steady, she slowly lifted up her palm. Her jaw dropped in amazement as the spoon was lifted too. 

Kazue had been so focused on her new goal that she didn’t notice the table’s occupants becoming deathly quiet. Until--

“Holy shit!”

The spoon clattered onto the table and hit the edge of a plate with a loud clang!

Kazue glanced up at Yuri, startled. He was staring at her incredulously, chopsticks hanging halfway up to his mouth. She faltered as she saw everyone around the table staring at her in various states of shock. Sometime during her exercise, Shikaku must have woken up, because he was now sitting up ramrod straight, staring at her in a completely new light, as though she’d finally proven a theory of his. Isamu and Yuri were gaping at her, jaws hanging open. Yoshino’s entire body had stiffened. Hiroshi was staring at her consideringly, lavender eyes boring into her skull. 

But the worst was her father. Haruki’s face had lost all of its color, and he was staring at her in a mixture of shock and utter dread. 

Kazue flinched back, feeling the onset of traitorous tears. “I-I’m sorry!”

That snapped everyone out of their stupor. 

Yuri began flailing his arms in alarm. “Don’t cry, chibi-chan!”

Isamu was trying to snatch his teammate’s arms in irritation. “Stop moving, Yuri!”

Hiroshi had finally looked away to glare at his teammates. “Settle down, both of you.”

Yoshino’s body had finally relaxed, and she was trying to gently twist Kazue around to look at her. “Sh, it’s okay, Kazue-chan.”

But Kazue wasn’t listening, for the look on her father’s face had been scorched into her mind. She kept shifting back to look frantically at her father, tears streaming down her face now. 

Across the table, her father was now looking blankly at the table in front of them. Shikaku had snapped out of his musings and was now whispering fiercely to his brother’s ear, though she couldn’t hear what they were saying. 

She didn’t get it. Kazue’s mind was moving a million miles per hour, trying to understand what exactly she’d done wrong. She didn’t want to make him angry!

Finally Shikaku must have said something significant, because Haruki’s eyes snapped back to Kazue, and his face became stricken. In a flash, he was in front of them, and hugging Kazue gently to his chest. “Shh, it’s okay, Kazue-chan. I’m not mad. It’s okay.”

Kazue tightened her grip on his vest, cursing her tears but unable to stop them. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

“No, don’t apologize.” His voice was soothing. “You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s okay.”

“B-but,” Kazue sniffled. “You look mad.”

“Oh, no,” he sighed out softly. “I wasn’t mad, Arashi-chan. I could never be mad at you. I was just surprised.”

“R-really?”

She could hear the smile in his voice when he replied, “Yes, really.”

They stayed like that for a little bit while Kazue calmed down. Finally, she lifted her face, only to find that they were alone in the parlor. Kazue fought the urge to flush in embarrassment. 

Haruki’s voice reached her ears. “Everyone else is waiting for us back at Shikaku-oji’s house to open presents. How does that sound, Kazue-chan?”

Kazue nodded hesitantly. 

Haruki took them back home via the rooftops, no doubt as an attempt to cheer Kazue back up. 

Either way, it worked, and Kazue laughed again as they bounded along the rooftops. 

Before she knew it, Yoshino was greeting them at the front door. Sure enough, all of the dinner guests were now gathered in the sitting room. In the middle table in front of them was a small pile of presents. Most importantly, though, was the titillating two-tiered cake topped with fresh berries and cream. Kazue almost drooled. 

The festivities continued. Somehow, Kazue sensed that the incident in the restaurant was now a conversation filed away for another time. No one brought it up once again, so Kazue didn’t ask. 

Instead, she spent what was left of her first birthday with her new family, opening birthday presents and licking sweet cream from her fingertips. 

Before she knew it, the night was over. Long after their guests had left, Kazue found herself half-dozing on Shikaku’s couch. Just before falling asleep, though, she heard two familiar voices out in the hallway. Kazue debated with herself, before finally giving into her curiosity. She channeled the faintest trace of chakra to her ears, just enough to her the conversation between her uncle and her father. 

“...am I supposed to do, nii-san?” Her father was saying lowly. “She’s such a curious child, and I’d never begrudge her of that, but you know what happens in these cases! I don’t want my daughter to lose her childhood!”

Kazue’s eyes widened. 

“No one’s said anything about that, Haruki,” Shikaku sighed. “You’re blowing this out of proportion. I, for one, was not surprised by this outcome at all. Trademark Nara intelligence, combined with her mother’s incessant curiosity?” Shikaku snorted fondly. “That daughter of yours is going to be the first motivated Nara in existence.”

Haruki’s voice was tense. “So what, then? How do I handle this?”

“Just let things progress by themselves. Kazue has already shown maturity well beyond her age. Let her come to you on her own, and answer her questions truthfully. Don’t get caught up in your fears like you did in the restaurant.”

There was a pause. “I made her cry,” Haruki said softly. The heartbreak in his voice cut deep into Kazue’s soul. 

Shikaku’s answer was firm, though not unkind. “That won’t be the last time either, Haruki. Things like that happen.”

“They shouldn’t, though. Akane would have known what to do…”

“Don’t do that to yourself, Otouto. You’re a great father. Kazue-chan adores you. You should...”

At that moment, Kazue was forced to let go of her chakra, too fatigued to continue on. The last thing Kazue remembered before drifting off into slumber was a pair of familiar arms scooping her up gently.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...Aaaaand some very familiar characters enter the mix!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter is up yay!! I'm new to AO3, so I'm still learning how to format my stories... hopefully I can get the hang of it soon and tweak a few things. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy!

“You’re going to have a little cousin soon, Kazue-chan!”

Truly, it felt as though the last six months had flown by. In that time, Kazue continued on with her new life. She even started reading!

In that time, Kazue had never stopped being so aware of the chakra inside of her. After much thought spent on the subject, she figured this was because she knew what the absence of chakra felt like, and was consequently very conscious of it. Aside from shifting it to various places in her body and trying to make the occasional object stick to her for the sake of amusement, Kazue hadn’t done much else. There was no doubt that the adults around her knew and heavily supervised her explorations with chakra, but no one commented on it (that is, beyond the stern speech Haruki had given her on the dangers of using too much of it). 

Kazue spent much of her time either with her aunt and uncle, or with Haruki’s teammates. Whenever her tou-san’s team was out on a mission, Kazue stayed in the Nara clan head’s household. It quickly became her second home. 

The remainder of the time, Kazue was with her father and-- more often than not-- his team. Since her birthday, Kazue had seen much more of Hiroshi. She liked his quiet yet polite disposition, and was amused to note that his sense of humor could rival Yuri’s whenever he felt up to the task. Granted, Hiroshi’s brand of humor leaned on the dry, sarcastic side, but Kazue loved it nonetheless. 

(Kazue should also note at this point that it was a bad idea to play Hide and Seek with a Hyuga. Seriously). 

Currently, the Nara family was sitting in the clan head’s family room. Kazue was seated on her father’s lap, while Shikaku and Yoshino sat across from them. It was clear by her father’s lack of surprise that this conversation was for Kazue’s sake. Yoshino had a hand over her stomach, which was slightly more pronounced. Beside her, Shikaku was staring at his niece intently, though the lines on his face were softened. Truly, how Kazue hadn’t noticed this was beyond her; it was only a matter of time before Shikamaru was born, considering the fact that her aunt and uncle had been married even prior to her birth. 

Still, that didn’t stop Kazue from blinking in surprise. “A little cousin?”

Haruki patted her head. “There’s a baby growing in Yoshino-oba’s tummy.”

Nara Shikamaru. It was a bit surreal, to be honest. Hopefully, Kazue did not look at dazed as she felt. 

Still, if she tried not to think too hard about the upcoming doom… Shikamaru would be her cousin. There would be a new member of the family soon!

A smile began to blossom on Kazue’s face. 

“Can I see him soon?”

At that, Yoshino beamed, and Shikaku slumped back on the couch. “Soon, Kazue-chan. The doctors said it would be near the end of September.”

Oh, that was sooner than she had expected.

Haruki chuckled, and she felt the vibrations along her back. “Are you excited, Kazue-chan?”

“Hai, tou-san!”

……….

Kazue didn’t recall time going by so quickly in the Before at all. In any case, as the weeks slipped by, Yoshino’s stomach became even more swollen. She stopped taking missions a few weeks into her pregnancy. She now spent most of her time in Yoshino’s care whenever Haruki was out on a mission. 

Which was a lot of time, ever since Haruki fully went back on active duty. Haruki had been going to the Yamanaka clan for counseling for over a year now. Kazue was glad to see him doing better, but there were missions that wore out her father more than usual. Not physically, but… he would come home with a glazed look in his eye. He’d be utterly drained. It hurt Kazue in more ways than one to see him like that, but she made sure to do as much for him as she could whenever that occurred. 

Kazue was unfortunately ignorant when it came to mental health states for shinobi. Was her father’s condition normal? She didn’t have a frame of reference... Surely the Yamanaka knew if he was fit for duty? Kazue seriously doubted that his team wouldn’t notice if there was something wrong, so she assured herself that it was fine. 

On another note, Kazue could now say that she could read! Well... mostly. But it was still nice. Speech was finally easier for her as well, which was a relief. Yoshino was so happy, in fact, that she did something surprising. 

“Where are we going, Yoshino-oba?” Kazue asked, clutching her aunt’s hand as they walked to the outskirts of the village. 

In front of them loomed a set of white, expansive buildings that looked fairly modern when compared to the rest of the village. There was a sign on the main structure that read: Nara Research Facilities. 

“Do you remember the purpose of the Nara clan, Kazue-chan?”

It clicked. “Shadow techniques and research facilities, Oba-chan.”

Yoshino smiled down at her. “Yes. The Nara clan spends a lot of time doing research for medicinal purposes, especially when it comes to utilizing the antlers of Nara deer.”

“Are we going inside, Oba-chan?”

Yoshino nodded. “I wanted to show you our clan’s facilities. You’ve been working so hard lately, and I thought you’d find this interesting. Besides, this would become hard to do once the baby comes.”

And they set off. Kazue was amazed. She was vaguely aware about the useful nature of the Nara deer, but she had no idea how expansive their research was. Though the facility was run by the Nara clan, it was not limited to Nara members, unlike the Uchiha police force. Kazue saw people from all origins walking purposefully around the facility. They were greeted politely as they walked through the building. 

At that time, Kazue learned that most of this research was done to work in conjunction with med-nin capabilities and jutsu, though it was not a hospital. Instead, this facility dealt with anything ranging from studying rare diseases, creating medications, and exploring new ingredients to use in an assortment of treatments. 

Yoshino guided them through the facility with an ease that told Kazue that she came here quite often. “Since you’re still young, we won’t be going too into detail, but I wanted you to get a sense of the work that we do here. The facility is divided into various divisions, which includes research on disease, exploration of new ingredients, as well as drug and chakra treatment development. Don’t be surprised if you see med-nin here often; we work in conjunction with the Konoha Hospital.”

And so the tour went on. 

Not for the first time, Kazue felt grateful for living where she did. Konoha was not perfect-- not even close, considering some of the schemes that are at work in the shadows-- but it sure beat a hell of a lot of places. She didn’t even want to think of where she’d be now if she’d been reborn in Kiri, for example. 

Afterward, Yoshino had taken her to a greenhouse in the back of the facility. Though some looked familiar to Kazue, most were foreign. “This is where we keep our medicinal plants, which are used in various salves and poison remedies. The Yamanaka clan actually work in conjunction with us to maintain this greenhouse.”

Kazue blinked up at Yoshino. “Do you make salves too?”

Yoshino nodded. “This is actually the main reason why we’re here. I’ll be teaching you the basics about healing salves today. We’ll even make a basic salve to make bruises heal faster.”

Kazue’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Yoshino nodded in amusement. “Yes, really.” Her tone then became more serious. “The main thing about our healing salves is that they have chakra infused into them; that’s what makes them so effective. Since you haven’t received proper chakra training yet, I’ll be handling that part. You can, however, make your own salve. I’ll be teaching you how to do it. But Kazue-chan,” Yoshino looked down at her intently. “These ingredients are valuable, so you have to follow my directions carefully, okay?”

Kazue nodded solemnly. “Hai, oba-chan.”

“Good. Now, the first thing you have to do is…”

Making the salve was a grueling process, but it was interesting, and reminded her of chemistry classes from the Before. Yoshino was a great sensei: she was clear with her directions, though not overly strict.

Done, Kazue handed over the small tub of freshly-made salve. As Yoshino peered into the container, Kazue anxiously waited for the final verdict. 

“Very nicely done, Kazue-chan.”

Kazue’s head snapped up, to find Yoshino smiling proudly down at her. “Really?”

Yoshino nodded. “You followed my directions perfectly. Overall, this is an admirable first attempt. Now,” Yoshino warned, “watch carefully.”

Yoshino held the small tub in her two hands. Briefly, Yoshino’s hands glowed a faint green, before dissipating. But before it could completely fade away, the tube itself glowed green as well!

“...I don’t understand,” Kazue gaped. 

“This container is special, since it channels chakra. I transferred chakra to the container, which will in turn feed it to the salve. The key here is knowing how much to use, though that’s a lesson for another day. You’ll be making more of these in the future, so I recommend you label this one.”

Kazue nodded. “Could we come back soon, please?”

Yoshino nodded kindly. “Soon. But, we’d better get back home for dinner, ne?”

…………

It had never occurred to Kazue that she may one day meet the remaining Ina-Shika-Cho members. Though Shikaku was her uncle, Kazue had yet to run into his two best friends. She wasn’t entirely sure why this was the case, but she hadn’t spared it much thought. 

It wasn’t until Shikamaru’s birth that Kazue finally met them. 

Haruki and Kazue had arrived at the hospital one late September night. They reached the waiting room, where three other men were waiting. Kazue’s eyes immediately flew to her uncle, who was pacing up and down the small corridor, uncharacteristically flustered. 

“Oji-san!” Kazue ran up to her uncle, who stiffly scooped her up without breaking stride. 

Haruki placed a hand on his brother’s shoulders to keep him in place. “How is she, nii-san?”

“I don’t know.” Shikaku’s voice sounded frustrated, and Kazue’s arms tightened around his neck. “They won’t tell me anything, and it’s been hours.”

Haruki didn’t get a chance to reply, when a cloaked ANBU appeared in front of them. This wasn’t an uncommon thing in Konoha, since the Hokage took advantage of his ANBU agents to summon people. 

A deep voice emerged from the lion-masked man. “Hokage-sama requests your presence, Haruki-san.”

Haruki exhaled from his nose, torn. “Hai, Lion.” He turned to his brother, apologetic. 

But Shikaku was already waving a hand at his younger brother. “It’s fine, Haruki. We’ll take care of Kazue-chan. Go.”

“Thank you.” Her father pressed a short kiss against Kazue’s temple, and then he was gone. 

Shikaku resumed his pacing, and Kazue tugged on his hair lightly. “It’ll be okay, Shikaku-oji,” Kazue said solemnly. 

Her uncle turned to stare at her, dark eyes curious. “How are you so sure, Kazue-chan?”

“Because oba-san is the strongest person ever. She’s the only person that can get you to do things, and she doesn’t even have to say anything.”

At that, Shikaku had to snort, and the tension loosened a bit from his shoulders. 

Two other people chuckled behind her, and Kazue turned curiously. 

Holy shit. Okay, this is not a drill. 

The two men in question had stood up from their seats and were now beside them, staring at Kazue curiously.

“Is this the niece you’ve been complaining about so much?” Choza asked good-naturedly. He looked pretty much how Kazue remembered, with the purple markings on his face, and wild mane of crimson hair. 

Inoichi chortled, pale blue eyes glittering with mirth. “‘Complaining about?’ Shikaku hasn’t stopped bragging about his niece in months!”

Shikaku rolled his eyes. “Tch. Why are you both here again?”

“I’ll be damned if I miss the birth of my teammate’s kid,” Inoichi shot back. “Besides, I’ve been dying to meet your little niece.” He smiled down at Kazue kindly. “My name is Yamanaka Inoichi, and this is Akimichi Choza. We’re your father’s teammates. Kazue-chan, right?”

Kazue offered up a small smile. “Nice to meet you, Yamanaka-sama, Akimichi-sama.”

Choza waved a hand. “No need for that, kid. Inoichi and Choza work just fine.”

“Say, Kazue-chan,” added Inoichi, squinting at her curiously, “how old are you now?”

Kazue blinked up at him. “I’m two, Inoichi-san.”

Choza whistled. “You weren’t kidding about her intelligence, Shika.”

Shikaku snorted softly. “She’s the first motivated Nara I’ve ever met. Troublesome niece.”

Kazue patted Shikaku’s hair. “I love you too, oji-san.”

Inoichi and Choza laughed. 

Suddenly, a doctor made his way into the waiting area, making everyone stiffen. “Shikaku-sama?” 

“Yes?” Shikaku asked tersely. 

The doctor smiled at them kindly. “Everything went perfectly. Yoshino-sama is resting now. Would you like to meet your son?”

Son, Kazue thought numbly. Shikamaru. 

At that Shikaku sucked in a breath. Kazue’s heart warmed almost unbearably at the soft, awed look on his face. 

“Kazue can stay here with us in the meantime, Shikaku,” Inoichi said gently. 

He wordlessly handed over Kazue to Inoichi before quickly following after the doctor, leaving Kazue staring after them. 

A large hand came down on Kazue’s wild curls. “Everything okay, Kazue-chan?” rumbled Choza’s voice. 

A boy. A baby boy. 

Kazue remembered the last time she’d been in a hospital’s maternity ward, so many years ago, and back in the Before. That had been the best day of her life: the day he’d been born. 

Her little brother. Her everything. 

He’d been a last-ditch attempt to save her parents’ failing marriage when Kazue was fourteen. It hadn’t worked, of course, but that hadn’t mattered to Kazue. She remembered sitting on a cold, metal chair in the late hours of the night, waiting for the birth of her little brother. Her father-- wearing a clean-cut suit, as always-- had been pacing the corridor in front of them, but not because of nerves. He had a phone pressed to his ear, and had been arguing about some business deal. 

“If you can’t convince Murcott, then you’re fucking useless… yes, I’m on leave now… no, it’s nothing of consequence… I’ll come in now and get the job done myself.”

And then he’d left. Kazue alone walked into her mother’s hospital room later that night, and she’d been the one to inform her mother about her husband’s absence. She still remembered her mother’s tired, bitter scoff at the news before falling back asleep.

But… none of that mattered in the end, when the doctor had walked in and gently placed the sleeping baby in her arms. She remembered holding out her finger and having his small hand latch onto it blindly. She remembered when he opened his eyes for the first time, orbs the color of milk chocolate peering up at her curiously, but with trust. Love. 

“Kazue-chan?”

Kazue’s gaze snapped back to Choza and Inoichi. “Do you… do you think I could meet the baby soon, Choza-san?”

The man’s eyes softened. “I don’t see why not.”

And he was right. Kazue only had to wait another hour before Shikaku walked back into the waiting room, a smile on his face. Kazue raised her head from where she’d been dozing on Inoichi’s shoulder and reached for her uncle, who took her without complaint. 

“Well, Shika?” Inoichi finally asked. 

“Yoshino is doing well like the doctor said. The baby is healthy as well.”

“Thank Kami,” Choza breathed out. 

Inoichi grinned, and clapped a hand on Shikaku’s shoulder. “Congratulations.”

Kazue tugged on his uncle’s hair lightly. “Is it okay if I see oba-chan and the baby?”

“Of course. Yoshino is awake, so it’s a good time.”

“We’ll wait outside,” said Inoichi. 

Time seemed to speed up as they made their way down the corridor. Before she knew it, Shikaku was walking into a small hospital room, making Yoshino glance up from the bundle of blankets held lovingly in her arms. The woman’s dark hair was matted, and her face still damp from exertion, but she was glowing. 

Yoshino smiled at them as they approached her bed. “Do you want to meet your baby cousin, Kazue-chan?”

Kazue nodded numbly, and Shikaku gently set her down on the bed. She peered down at the blanket, and something in her chest tightened. 

In Yoshino’s arms was a small baby boy, with ivory skin and small tufts of black hair. Slowly, almost as if from a distance, Kazue held out her finger, and watched in silent awe as his small hand latched onto it. At that moment, his eyes opened, and onyx eyes blinked blearily up at her. With trust. Love. 

Shikaku’s voice spoke up beside them. “His name is Shikamaru.”

Nara Shikamaru. 

“This is your nee-chan, Shika-chan,” Yoshino cooed softly. “This is Kazue-neechan.”

Sister. 

Images flashed across Kazue’s mind. A little baby with chocolate-eyes, holding onto her finger at the hospital. A toddler with light brown locks, waddling over to her for the first time, shrieking with laughter. A boy, sporting a brand-new backpack, throwing his arms around her before attending his first day at school. The same little boy-- now ten years old-- handing her a card that read, ‘Happy birthday to the best sister in the world!’ And then--

The images stopped. There was no more to see. 

Icouldn’tsavehimIcouldn’tsavehimIcouldn’tsavehimIcouldn’tsavehim--

'Kazue-neechan.' 

Was she doomed to fail once again? 

No. Kazue refused to fail another brother. Never again. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Shika-chan,” Kazue said softly. “I’ll protect you.”

And I won’t fail.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kazue sees something she was never meant to witness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: This fic is rated mature, but this is the first chapter where we start seeing violence and gore. You have been warned!

“Oji-san?”

Shikaku looked up from his scrolls at Kazue, who stood in front of him. “Oh? You’re not with Yoshino and Shikamaru?”

Kazue shook her head, wringing her hands in front of her. “Oba-chan and Shika-chan are sleeping right now.” 

A week had passed since Shikamaru’s birth, and they were all now finally home. It seemed that Yoshino’s birth had been a bit tricky, though, because the doctors had warned her it would take quite a few weeks for her to heal fully. Though Haruki had yet to return from his mission, Kazue wasn’t too upset; she loved being able to help Yoshino with Shikamaru. 

However… there was a conversation that Kazue needed to have now that they were finally home. 

Shikaku could clearly sense that Kazue had something to say, because he set down his scroll and stared at her expectantly. 

“You and tou-san work for the village, right?”

Something in Shikaku’s gaze sharpened. “Yes,” he said slowly. “We serve Konoha. So did Yoshino, but she stepped down to care for Shikamaru.”

“Tou-san said you protect the village,” Kazue began. “How?”

Shikaku paused, face wiped blank, before finally speaking. “Your father and I are shinobi. We strive to protect the village and the people in it. We fight for the village in times of war, but we also take missions for a fee in order to elevate Konoha’s reputation and credibility.”

“How do you become a shinobi?”

“You join the Ninja Academy once you have enough knowledge. They teach you the basics until you’re ready to graduate and become a genin. In the Shinobi world, Kazue-chan, there’s four main shinobi ranks, who take a variety of missions for the village. First, and lowest,” Shikaku held up a finger, “are genin. Then there’s chunin, jounin, and finally the hokage. In each hidden village, there can only be one hokage-- and he’s chosen to protect the entire village.”

“What rank are you and tou-san?”

“Haruki and I are both jounin, but the Hokage appointed me jonin commander a few years ago, so I stay in the village more frequently. As for Haruki… his team is often highly requested, so he’s out of the village more often.”

Kazue paused. “What about Kaa-san?”

“...Yes. She was a shinobi as well.”

Shikaku fell silent, giving Kazue a chance to process the information. There were times in which Haruki wore a grey uniform that looked oddly familiar, but she couldn’t place where it came from. 

But… Kazue couldn’t stall it any longer. It was time. More than anything, Kazue wanted to protect her new family, and there was only one way to do that.

She couldn’t-- wouldn’t-- stand by while her entire family sacrificed their lives. She wanted to protect them. She didn’t want to fail again. 

“I want to become a shinobi too, oji-san,” Kazue said seriously. 

Her uncle’s face revealed nothing. “Why is that, Kazue-chan?”

Kazue straightened. “I want to protect my family, just like you and tou-san. Most of all, I want to protect Shika-chan, especially since he’ll be the clan-head one day.”

Her uncle stared at her consideringly. Kazue stared back. 

“You’re going to have to talk to Haruki about this when he gets back,” Shikaku finally acquiesced. 

Kazue hesitated, before speaking once again. “Will tou-san be upset? Like last time?”

Shikaku hummed thoughtfully. “Do you know what you did that upset him?”

Oh, so they were having that conversation. “I saw the waiter making the plates stick to his arms, so I wanted to try it too. Shinobi do the same thing, right?”

Shikaku’s gaze sharpened. “Yes. You were using chakra. You use it quite a bit as well, I’ve noticed. Recently.”

Whoops. Kazue ducked her head. 

“You’re not in trouble; your father said nothing about not using it, after all. Can you describe how it feels for you?”

Kazue considered the question. “I-it’s like this warm ball in here,” she pointed to her stomach. “I’ve always noticed it. If I work hard enough, I can move parts of it…” 

Her uncle had stared at her consideringly as she was speaking. She could almost hear the wheels turning in his head. 

“Haruki won’t be mad,” Shikaku finally stated. “You can ask him when he gets back. Maybe he’ll start teaching you a few things.”

And that was that. Kazue wasn’t particularly surprised by this outcome of events. Though Shikaku taught her a lot, Kazue knew he’d need his brother’s permission for this next step. 

Unfortunately, it would be weeks before Kazue would be able to ask her father. 

……………..

Kazue cursed herself for forgetting about the Nine-Tails’ attack. She should have known. She should have remembered. 

October 10th had begun like any other day. Haruki was still out on his mission at that time, so Kazue was staying at the Nara clan head’s residence. Kazue spent that day helping Yoshino take care of Shikamaru. Though Kazue didn’t know the details, she knew the birth had been particularly taxing for Yoshino. Perhaps that was why they’d only had one child. In any case, Yoshino was mostly bedridden, So Kazue was more than happy to help. 

Shikamaru was a quiet baby. By this time, he wasn’t even a month old, so he spent most of the day sleeping, or eating. Sometimes, Shikamaru would open his eyes and stare curiously up at Kazue with those warm onyx eyes. It was always the highlight of Kazue’s day, seeing Shikamaru looking around in fascination, sometimes even shooting her a gummy smile. 

It was late that night when Shikaku was summoned to the Hokage tower by a masked figure. Since that wasn’t an uncommon occurrence, Kazue had thought nothing of it. 

She was in Shikamaru’s room, rocking him to sleep when it happened. 

A deafening roar-- strong enough to make the ground resonate-- pierced the air. 

Immediately, a thick, malignant chakra manifested itself, and Kazue choked, almost falling to her knees. The oppressive air was suffocating, and she couldn’t breathe. She was going to die, gasping for air, just like the last time. 

Everyonewasgoingtodiechokingandsuffocating--

Shikamaru’s shrill cries snapped her back to reality. 

Desperately, Kazue channeled all of her focus to her own chakra, trying to shift in and channel it to ward off the killing intent. 

There. It wasn’t perfect, but she could breathe again. 

Footsteps stumbled toward the nursery, and Yoshino threw the door open. She was panting, face sweating with exertion, and leaning heavily on the door frame. An unzipped chunin vest had been hastily thrown on over her sleeping clothes. But--

“Oba-chan!” Kazue cried out, alarmed. Blood was beginning to seep into her light night shirt, and Kazue’s eyes widened at the implication. Yoshino had a c-section. Her stitches have probably ripped. 

The roaring came again, even closer. Kazue’s entire body filled with terror. 

“Kazue!” Yoshino’s firm hands gripped her by the shoulders, making her snap to attention. “We need to get to the evacuation point immediately, so you have to be brave, okay? I want you to take care of Shikamaru, no matter what happens to me.”

A part of Kazue wanted to scream at Yoshino, scream that she refused to let anyone else die. But the fierce look on her aunt’s face stopped her. Yoshino had entrusted her own child to Kazue. “Hai!” She wouldn’t fail. 

Yoshino quickly reached into her weapon’s pouch and handed her a gleaming kunai. “Just in case. Use it only for emergencies. Do you understand?”

“Hai!” Kazue adjusted her grip on the crying shikamaru, holding him to her chest with one arm and wielding the kunai in the other one. Kazue could almost hear the hammering of her own heart against her ears, but quickly pushed down her fear. 

Yoshino nodded stiffly. “Then let’s go. We need to make sure that everyone has evacuated.”

Her aunt quickly led the way out of the house and joined the thinning crowd of evacuating clan members. As they walked towards the clan’s gates, Yoshino made sure to check various houses for other clan members. They continued like that, directing any civilian members to the gates. Often, Kazue forgot that Yoshino and Shikaku were clan heads, willing to sacrifice their lives to keep the clan safe. Yoshino stopped at the gate, and Kazue’s eyes widened at the sight in front of her.

The malignant chakra only became stronger out in the open, and it took every fiber in Kazue’s being to keep her own chakra circulating. A word emerged from the depths of her subconscious. 

Kurama. 

From here, Kazue could see its crimson tails waving in the air, tearing down buildings with a single swipe. Around it, Kazue could see small figures leaping upward, throwing gleaming objects, sometimes balls of fire or water bullets. 

It only seemed to annoy the tailed beast. Kazue couldn’t even cry out before one of its tails rose up and knocked five figures out of the air with ferocious speed. The screams of the villager’s pierced Kazue’s ears. 

It was one thing to see an animated show. It was completely different, however, to see a chakra beast leaking killing intent and annihilating human beings as though they were mere flies. 

A Nara shinobi dropped down in front of them, tearing Kazue’s stunned gaze away from the carnage. His eyes widened upon seeing the bleeding female clan-head. “Yoshino-sama! I’ll find you medical help immediately!”

Yoshino held up a hand, eyes steely. “There are more important things to worry about, Saburo-san. Has the compound been evacuated fully?”

“Hai, Yoshino-sama! I dispatched our available shinobi to lead everyone to the shelter before coming to ensure your safety. The compound is now empty.”

And they set out. By this time, most people had already been evacuated, so the streets were eerily empty, though they could still hear the deafening roars of Kurama, and the battle cries of shinobi. Kazue stayed by Yoshino’s side as they briskly moved through the village. Finally, they came across the first set of ruins. 

In its rampage as it moved closer to the center of the village, Kurama had destroyed entire buildings. Where a three-story residential building used to be, there was now a pile of rubble. As they made their way past it, Kazue caught sight of a small arm peeking out beneath the rubble, maybe belonging to someone just a few years older than Kazue herself--

Nausea rose up in her. 

A firm, but gentle hand shifted her head away from the carnage. “Just look straight ahead, Kazue,” Yoshino commanded. 

Kazue blinked quickly. “H-hai.” She held Shikamaru, whose cries had now become exhausted whimpers, closer to her chest. 

Suddenly, everything went quiet. Alarmed, Kazue craned her head to look at Kurama, whose murderous gaze was fixed on the Hokage monument-- or rather, the cloaked figure standing silently atop the monument. More specifically, a cloaked figure with brilliant blond hair. 

Kazue’s eyes widened in realization as Kurama’s jaw gaped open, and heavy, purple chakra began to gather. They weren’t in his line of fire, but Kazue had no idea what kind of damage something like that could make. 

In front of them, Saburo’s eyes had widened as well. In a flash, he took hold and Kazue and leaped back behind the remains of a wall. Yoshino landed beside them just as Kurama released the massive ball of chakra. 

Kazue crouched along the wall and held Shikamaru to her chest, shielding him, as the bomb whooshed past them, knocking straight through buildings with no difficulty. Only seconds later, the powerful aftershock hit, and the wall protecting them shook and crumbled, but held. There was a sharp sting against Kazue’s arm, but she ignored it. 

“Kami-sama!” Saburo exclaimed in shock, staring at the monument. 

Kazue looked just in time to see the massive sphere disappear into thin air, leaving a figure standing in its wake. It was only seconds before a massive explosion went off beyond the village walls, and a bright light filled the air briefly, blinding her. 

Yondaime, Kazue thought in awe, blinking spots out of her eyes. 

She kept looking as everyone else turned their gaze away, though, because there was a nagging feeling growing inside of her--

There! She’d maintained eye contact just enough to see the Yondaime lash out at a cloaked figure wearing a mask with black stripes. The Yondaime’s attack, however, slipped through the man. In the blink of an eye, they were both gone. 

Kazue paled. 

She didn’t have time to process the information, however. Beside them, Yoshino’s breath was beginning to come out in pants, and Kazue stared at her aunt with rising apprehension. The woman’s skin was pale and clammy, her shirt damp with blood, even as she pressed a hand to stem the bleeding. 

“Is it safe to keep moving, Saburo-san?” Kazue asked. 

Saburo’s eyes snapped down to Kazue. “We cannot stay here, especially if the Kyuubi does something like that again.” He then turned to Yoshino in concern. “Are you able to continue, Yoshino-sama?”

Yoshino’s pale face was set in stone. “There’s no other option. Let’s continue.”

They continued to move closer to the center of the city and toward the Hokage monument, picking their way through rubble and remains. Kazue pressed forward. She ignored the pools of blood on the ground; she ignored a civilian woman’s corpse, half crushed beneath a piece of stone; she ignored the bashed-in head of an elderly man, eyes staring sightlessly up into the night sky; she ignored the still-twitching leg peeking out beneath a wall’s remains. 

Just keep moving. Don’t think. 

Just then, a group of four shinobi dropped down in front of them, looking scratched and bloodied. “Saburo,” the eldest one barked out. “Sandaime-sama has requested all available shinobi to assist in a distraction as he prepares his jutsu. Your shadow abilities are required.”

“Hai!” Saburo’s eyes darted back to Yoshino, conflicted. “We will need someone to escort--”

Yoshino held up a hand. “There’s no need. Sandaime-sama has commanded all available shinobi to fight. I’m not fit for duty, but you are, Saburo-san. Go.”

Saburo bowed deeply to them. “Hai, Yoshino-sama. Please stay safe!”

And then they were gone. 

“Stay alert, Kazue!” Yoshino said firmly, not taking her eyes off their surroundings as they moved. “How is Shikamaru?”

Kazue’s heart caught in her throat when she heard Yoshino’s breaths coming out in pants. “He’s sleeping, oba-chan.”

Yoshino nodded, satisfied. “The nearest entrance to the evacuation tunnels is at the base of the Hokage monument, by the Hokage tower. We’re ten minutes out, maybe less. Do you remember where that is?”

“Yes, oba-chan.”

“Good. If anything happens to me and I can’t continue, I want you to take Shikamaru straight there, okay? Leave me behind.”

“But--”

“Go straight there, okay? You must take care of yourself and Shikamaru, no matter what.” Yoshino’s voice left no room for argument. 

Kazue bit her lip hard enough to taste blood, but nodded. “Hai!”

“Good.”

At that moment, Kurama began thrashing in earnest, his annoyed roars making Kazue flinch in surprise. She looked over to see a large black pole barrel into Kurama’s chest, knocking him back several yards until it was out of the village. Almost immediately afterwards, masses of shinobi began to throw themselves at the restrained tailed beast with renewed vigor. Kurama roared in anger, lashing out at the offending shinobi, knocking many out of the air with fatal force. 

“That must be the Sandaime’s jutsu,” Yoshino told Kazue. 

Just then, Kazue could see Kurama’s jaw hinge open, that thick purple chakra gathering once again. Kazue began to cry out in warning, but--

A giant toad fell atop Kurama with a resounding crash that made the ground shake. 

“We need to keep moving,” Yoshino barked out, just as another bright explosion filled the sky, away from the village once again. The ground shook, and Yoshino stumbled before falling on her side. 

“Oba-chan!” Kazue knelt down beside her aunt, whose face was pinched with pain. Blood was leaking out of Yoshino’s front even more quickly, and Kazue dropped the kunai to frantically press a hand to the wound, trying to stop the blood flow. 

Bloodied hands grasped at her shoulders and pushed her aside weakly. “Go, Kazue! Before the kyuubi comes back!” Yoshino urged, looking resolutely into her eyes. 

Kazue shook her head frantically. “No! No, I won’t leave you. I won’t--”

“You must! Keep Shikamaru safe, you hear me?” Yoshino smiled kindly down at her, and Kazue’s lip wobbled. “I’ll be fine, Kazue-chan.”

A lie. “But--”

“You promised.”

Kazue ducked her head. Something wet trickled down her cheeks. Shikamaru started crying again, his wails disrupting the now-silent night. He’s hungry, Kazue thought faintly as he began squirming in her grasp. She needed to take care of him. Yoshino trusted Kazue to take care of him. 

With a choked-off sob, Kazue took off. She ran through the wreckage for what felt like forever, past crushed buildings and bloodied corpses. She ran even faster when she saw the entrance of the tunnels, guarded by two tense chunin. 

“I need a medic! Please!” Kazue cried out desperately as she ran up to them. 

One of the chunin snapped to attention and ran further into the tunnel, giving Kazue a chance to catch her breath. Not even seconds later, he came back with a kunoichi, sporting a bloodied white med-nin uniform. 

“What’s the problem?”

“It’s my aunt,” Kazue said quickly. “She gave birth a few weeks ago and her stomach is bleeding.”

The kunoichi’s gaze sharpened. “Where is she?”

“She’s less than ten minutes out, by the ruins of the pharmacy.”

The woman nodded briskly before setting off. Kazue made a move to follow, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She looked back up to see the chunin staring down at her seriously. “Sorry, kid. It’s not safe for you out there.”

Kazue shook her head distantly. “But… oba-chan will be looking for me. Can I stay here until she comes back?”

The chunin shook his head slowly as he steered her father down the tunnels. “Chances are, your aunt is going to be moved to the hospital. It wasn’t damaged in the attack, so they’re accepting survivors. Is that your little brother, kid?”

“...He’s my cousin.”

The chunin nodded, squeezing her shoulder in reassurance. “There’s food for him in the shelter if he’s hungry. For you as well.” They stopped at another guarded door, and the chunin knelt down to look her in the eyes. He had very light eyes, like Inoichi. Maybe he’s a Yamanaka, Kazue thought absently. “Is there someone else that may come looking for you? I can keep an eye out for them.”

“Um, my uncle. Nara Shikaku.”

A that, the chunin’s eyes widened. “I’ll let him know you’re here if I see him.” He gave her a tight smile and nudged her in the direction of the door. “You’ll be safe in there. Take care, kid.”

Kazue spent a lot of time in that room. They’d clearly separated the evacuees into various rooms, because this one was filled only with women and children. In the corner were various baby supplies, such as diapers and formula. 

Various women offered to help, but Kazue declined. Shikamaru was finally awake, and getting fussy, so Kazue quickly changed his diaper. He wasn’t nearly as dirty as she was, since Kazue had shielded him from almost everything, but she cleaned him up anyway. A young woman offered her some already-made formula, and Kazue took it with gratitude. 

“It’s okay, Shika-chan,” Kazue mumbled, rocking him gently as he fell asleep. “You’re safe now.”

But Kazue’s mind wouldn’t be soothed. Her adrenaline was still through the roof, her mind replaying the last moments of the attack. She shouldn’t have left Yoshino. What if the med-nin didn’t find her? What if she didn’t get help? She should have gone with the med-nin, should have made sure--

The door opened, and a familiar figure quickly stepped through. Shikaku’s gaze darted around the room frantically before finally settling on Kazue. In seconds, he was by her side, grabbing at her shoulders. He was bloodied, filthy, and scratched, but he looked fine. A brief relief bubbled up within her. Shikaku’s eyes roved over them both, taking in Shikamaru’s clean, relaxed state as well as Kazue. She wasn’t sure what she looked like, but there was probably a little bit of blood on her. Maybe a lot. Her uncle’s hands shifted up to grasp her cheeks. 

Shikaku’s face was pale. “Kazue? Are you alright?”

“Did you see her?” Kazue demanded desperately. “Oba-chan? Is she okay?”

“I just saw her. She’s in the hospital, but awake and healing. She told me to look for you two.”

Upon hearing those words, relief slammed into Kazue like a wave. “That’s good.”

Her uncle’s grasp tightened, and he forced her to look into his tense eyes. “Are you okay? Kazue, are you injured?”

Kazue shook her head slowly. Everything was so slow. “It’s not mine. The blood.” Though the words had come from her, it felt as though a stranger were speaking. 

Shikaku didn’t look as relieved as she thought he would. If anything, he looked even more concerned. “Okay. You’re safe now, Kazue. It’s over.” He was speaking so very slowly. 

Kazue tried to focus on the feel of Shikamaru in her arms, the hands grasping her cheeks. The thoughts slipped away, though. She couldn’t calm down. Not yet. “Can we go see Oba-chan?”

“I’ll be taking you there now.” Shikaku paused, conflicted. Kazue was surprised to see some of the emotions that flew across his face. Frustration. Worry. Shame. “I-I can’t stay with you. The Sandaime needs me to deal with the aftermath. He gave me a few minutes to check up on you.”

Kazue blinked slowly. “That’s fine. I can stay with oba-chan.” She reached up a hand to pat her uncle’s hair, as if from a great distance. Shikaku flinched almost imperceptibly. “I understand, oji-san. Don’t be sad.”

Her uncle sighed deeply, before carefully picking them both up. Kazue shifted Shikamaru in her arms to make him more comfortable. “We need to be quick,” Shikaku warned, “so I’ll be shun-shining us there. That means we’ll be traveling really fast, okay? I doubt Shikamaru will wake up, though.” 

Kazue nodded. 

For a few seconds, Kazue felt something in her stomach flip, but then it was over. She didn’t spare the new experience any thought, however. Her mind felt strangely blank. 

They were now standing in the hospital’s familiar waiting room. Except, it no longer looked familiar. Shikaku set her down next to him. 

The hospital was filled to the brim, and there was a flurry of activity all around them. Injured shinobi and civilians alike were clustered in this area, their wounds ranging anywhere from large bruises to missing limbs. Groans and screams filled the air. Med-nin were running around patients, their hands glowing green, or yelling out commandments. 

“This is where the emergency area is concentrated,” Shikaku called out as if from a great distance. “But the rest of the hospital is emptier. Yoshino’s in one of the rooms in the maternity ward, recovering.”

Shikaku guided them briskly through the busy area. At one point, they approached a young, civilian man who was screaming and writhing in pain. Doctors were clustered around him, pinning him down and blocking Kazue’s view of him. It was only as they passed by him that Kazue saw his injuries. 

The man’s arm had been obviously crushed by something, because his entire forearm was now a purple, bloodied mess. The doctor’s were in the process of hacking away at the ruined area with chakra scalpels, and blood was gushing out the limb at a frightening rate. 

Shikaku gently turned her face away from the brutal scene, and they continued walking, leaving the screaming man behind.

Before she knew it, they were standing in front of a plain, white door and Shikaku was pushing the door open. 

Something loosened within Kazue upon seeing Yoshino sleeping peacefully in the hospital bed. The color had returned to Yoshino’s cheeks, and there was a fresh bandage wrapped around her torso. Someone had dressed her in a hospital gown, the bloodied pajamas nowhere in sight. 

Shikaku knelt down in front of them and placed his hands on her shoulders. “There’s a bathroom across the hall, if you want. But don’t leave this room, other than that, okay?”

Kazue nodded. 

“I have to leave. The Sandaime is expecting me. You’ll be safe here, Kazue.” The hands on her shoulders were tense. 

“It’s okay, oji-san. I understand.”

His grip tightened, eyes staring into hers unreadably. Finally, Shikaku pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead as well as Shikamaru’s before standing up with a bone-deep sigh. He gave his sleeping wife a quick peck as well before leaving, shutting the door behind him.

Almost mechanically, Kazue looked around the small room. They’d provided a small crib for them, so Kazue set Shikamaru down gently so he could sleep more comfortably. She then moved the extra chair over by the crib, making sure to have the door in sight, before taking a seat. 

In a daze, Kazue held her hands out in front of her. The blood had long ago dried and crusted over. Her short-sleeved shirt was stained with it too for sure, but she didn’t care enough to see. Her hands came back down slowly to rest on her lap. 

Kazue didn’t know how long she stayed like that, staring down blankly at the ground. She listened to the steady breaths of her aunt and cousin, letting the sounds slowly relax her. As the adrenaline finally wore off, a constant, dull throb in her upper arm began to make itself known. That would explain why one of her arms was more bloodied, Kazue thought numbly, though she didn’t remember getting injured. Still, she didn’t check. 

It could have been hours or minutes before Kazue felt a familiar presence rapidly approaching their room. It stopped right at the door, as if steeling itself. 

Finally, the door opened ever so slowly. Someone’s breath caught in their throat, before they swallowed audibly. Footsteps made their way into the room, closed the door behind them, made their way towards Kazue, and knelt down in front of her. 

Kazue kept staring down at the ground, even as a pair of standard-issued shinobi sandals, bandages, and pants filled her vision. 

“Arashi-chan?” The voice spoke softly, gently. 

Something clicked in Kazue’s mind. “I lost it,” she mumbled in realization. 

“What did you lose?”

Kazue finally looked up at her father. His face was haggard and filthy, hair in disarray. He hadn’t shaved in a few days, either. As he looked at her, so many emotions flashed across his eyes. Relief. Apprehension. Stress. Concern. But there was also… fear?

“Oba-chan’s kunai. I can’t remember where I dropped it. Do you think she’ll be upset?”

There it was again. Fear. Her father’s hands came up slowly to rest on her shoulders. “Are you hurt at all, Kazue-chan?”

“I..” Kazue blinked. The fog was starting to clear. “My left arm hurts.”

Haruki’s eyes flickered down to her arm in an instant. Kazue looked down as well, only to notice an angry red cut running jaggedly from her shoulder almost down to her elbow. That certainly explained the blood running down her arm earlier. At least the blood had begun to clot. 

There were a few seconds of silence in which Haruki stared down at Kazue’s arm, frozen. Finally, her father took a deep breath and smiled at her with great effort. The smile didn’t reach his eyes, though. “I’m going to take you to the bathroom to clean up this cut, okay?”

“We can’t leave oba-chan and Shika-chan alone, though,” Kazue said immediately. 

“Isamu and Yuri are outside. They can watch over them for a bit.”

Kazue blinked slowly. She hadn’t noticed their chakra at all. Now that she was thinking about it, though, there were two familiar presences outside. “What about Hiroshi?”

“He’s reporting back to the Sandaime.”

“....Okay, then.”

Haruki gently scooped her in and propped her on his hip, mindful of her injured arm. Something hit Kazue’s foot, though, and she looked down in confusion--

Oh. 

There was a mask clipped onto Haruki’s belt. Tou-san is ANBU. Okay, then. She leaned her head against her father’s chest tiredly. 

Haruki made his way out of the room and closed the door behind him. Outside, two very familiar people snapped to attention from where they’d been leaning against the wall, just as tired and filthy as Haruki. 

“...Chibi-chan?” Yuri’s voice was hesitant, apprehensive. 

“Is she alright, Haruki?” Isamu’s voice was muted, shocked. “She’s covered in blood!”

Kazue closed her eyes. 

“I just need to clean up a cut on her shoulder.” Haruki said, evading the question. “Can you stay and watch over Shikamaru and Yoshino?”

Isamu’s voice was soft. “Of course.”

“Of course,” Yuri echoed, a bit delayed. 

Kazue didn’t open her eyes again until Haruki sat her by the kitchen sink. She watched as he wet a paper towel and began dabbing at the blood on her arm, though she stiffened when he reached the cut. 

Even then, she said nothing. Haruki was focused on his task, though his eyes were hooded. They were both silent as he finished cleaning the blood from her arm. He took out a tube of salve from a pouch on his belt before gently dabbing it onto the cut. He then took her hands and began scrubbing away the blood gently. The water in the sink turned pink. He said nothing until she’d been scrubbed clean. 

“I might be able to find you some clean clothes soon, Kazue-chan,” Haruki said with forced lightness as he gathered the stained paper towels. 

Kazue spoke, her voice finally feeling as though it belonged to her. “I want to be a shinobi, tou-san. Could you train me?”

Haruki halted in his work, stared at her consideringly. There was a conflicted light in his eyes. A mixture of pride, relief, fear. “Yes,” he said simply. 

It was all that needed to be said, for now. 

Kazue glanced down at her hands once again. Though they were clean, they felt dirty. If she closed her eyes, Kazue was confident that she would see piles of blood, corpses crushed beneath debris, injured people screaming and clutching at their ruined limbs…. 

Something wet trickled down Kazue’s cheeks, though this time Kazue knew that they were tears. She couldn’t stop the sob that forced its way out of her throat. 

Immediately, she was enveloped in her father’s embrace. He was rubbing her back, whispering soothing things in her ear as she clutched at him. 

She knew she was safe now, but not everyone had escaped unscathed, not by a long shot. At least her family was safe for now. Kazue latched onto that thought like a lifeline. 

And if Kazue felt Haruki shaking, she didn’t comment on it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not even a Tailed Beast attack is enough to keep Konoha down for long...
> 
> ... Or the one in which Konoha heals, and Kazue makes new friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowowow!! Thank you all SO MUCH for reading and liking my story! This is seriously a dream come true :D
> 
> Moving forward, I'm hoping to update once a week (at least until I run out of pre-written material), though I don't have any specific days in mind. College classes just started this past week, so everything will be hectic for a while. Please bare with me-- September is always a crazy month :P
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and have a lovely week everyone!

The rest of the night passed by in a blur. Kazue dozed off in her father’s arms after crying herself to sleep. She was vaguely aware of Haruki carrying her back to their room and setting her down next to Yoshino. Almost immediately, Kazue pressed herself against Yoshino’s side. She could feel her father’s warm hand gently brushing the hair away from her face. 

“...Is she okay?” Yuri’s voice was muted. 

“I- I don’t know.” Haruki’s voice was tight. “Shikaku told me that Kazue was in shock, but…” 

Someone shifted. Kazue could almost picture Isamu putting a comforting hand on his teammate’s shoulder. “Do you know what happened?”

Haruki sighed heavily. “Yoshino told nii-san almost everything before she fell asleep. They were one of the last to evacuate, since Yoshino had to ensure that the clan members were safe. She made Kazue carry Shikamaru, and gave her a kunai just in case. They were ten minutes out from the base when Yoshino collapsed. Kazue ran all the way there and found a medic to help Yoshino.”

There was silence as Haruki’s teammates worked to process the information. 

“Chibi-chan had to run through the affected areas, right? She must have seen…” Yuri trailed off. 

Haruki’s hand froze on her hair. “I know,” he said with a sharp exhale. 

“You can’t blame yourself for this, Haruki,” Isamu’s voice was gentle. “You weren’t there.”

“Exactly. I wasn’t there.” 

“You were following orders.” For once, Yuri’s tone was deadly serious. “We were on a mission. It was unavoidable.”

The trio fell into silence once again. Haruki’s hand resumed smoothing away her hair. Kazue fell into a fitful doze. 

Still, Kazue teetered on the edge of sleep and wakefulness. She was snuggled against Yoshino’s side and there was a warm, feminine hand brushing her hair away from her face. 

Another presence entered the room and broke the silence. “The Yondaime is dead,” said Shikaku’s grief-stricken voice. The hand on her head froze. 

“How?” Isamu managed to say. 

“He and Kushina died sealing the Kyuubi. The Sandaime will be holding a meeting regarding the news… this is hardly a conversation to have here.”

There was a pause before Yuri spoke up. “What about Konoha’s state of emergency?”

“Over,” Shikaku grunted. “People are being led out of the tunnels now. Temporary homes are being set up now. Various clans have already stepped forward to offer refuge for displaced villagers.”

“How long will you be staying, nii-san?”

“Not long. I came to tell you about the meeting-- it’s in a few hours. All available shinobi are required to attend.” Shikaku paused, before speaking once again. “Can you stay here, Yoshino?”

“Of course. I’ll watch over Shikamaru and Kazue.”

“How is Shikamaru?”

“He’s fine,” Isamu’s voice spoke up. “He’s been asleep since we got here.”

“....Kazue?”

Silence. 

“There was a cut on her shoulder,” Haruki began carefully. “I bandaged it before she fell asleep. 

“I didn’t notice,” Shikaku’s voice was contrite. 

“When I came into the room,” her father continued slowly, “the first thing she said was that she’d lost Yoshino’s kunai. She asked if Yoshino would be upset. Then she cried herself to sleep in the bathroom.”

Yoshino made a regretful noise. “I tried to shield her the best I could, but… there were a lot of bodies.” She paused, before speaking again. “She saved my life. The med-nin told me that Kazue ran into the tunnels, screaming for a medic. That she kept her head, explained the situation concisely, and gave the med-nin an accurate location.”

“There’s a lot of genin that wouldn’t be able to do that,” Yuri pointed out. 

“Kazue came up to me a few days ago and told me she wanted to become a shinobi. ” Shikaku’s voice spoke up, thoughtful. “She said, ‘I want to protect my family, just like you and tou-san. Most of all, I want to protect Shika-chan, especially since he’ll be the clan-head one day.’ She also implied that she’s been using chakra consciously since at least her first birthday.”

“She asked me if I could train her back in the bathroom, and I said yes,” Haruki admitted. 

The group fell into silence as they considered their words.

“You have a very special daughter there, Haruki,” Isamu said. “She’ll be a fine shinobi one day.”

……………….

The next few days passed by in a daze. Yoshino spent a week in the hospital before being released. In that time, Kazue pretty much lived in the hospital. Since all available shinobi were required to be on duty, Haruki couldn’t take Kazue home, nor could he see her very often. Instead, Kazue stayed in Yoshino’s room, and was given an extra cot to sleep in. She spent her time taking care of Shikamaru and talking to Yoshino. 

Yoshino must have noticed Kazue’s boredom, because he gave her a new exercise on the second day while Shikamaru was napping. “Open the window and take a handful of leaves from that branch,” Yoshino instructed. 

Kazue’s brows came together in confusion, but she acquiesced. 

“Good. We’re going to be doing the leaf exercise. It’s a chakra exercise taught to academy students.”

Oh. “How does it work?”

“Place the leaf on your forehead and try to make it stick with chakra. You’ve already been doing things like this before, but this is to test your chakra endurance. See how long you can hold the leaf there first. Then, you could try it with multiple leaves at once.”

So began Kazue’s chakra training. Time passed more quickly when she had something to do. Soon, Yoshino was released from the hospital and they were able to make their way back to the Nara compound. 

Walking through the village was something that made Kazue apprehensive, but she was surprised to see just how quickly Konoha was bouncing back from the disaster. The Sandaime had decided to clean up the village and gather the fallen before holding a mass funeral for everyone, including the Yondaime. 

Thus, Konoha’s inhabitants threw themselves into rebuilding before the funeral, two weeks after the Nine-Tails’ attack. As they walked through the village, hordes of people were working. There was a solemn air in the air, but there was also something else hidden within: hope. 

The Nara compound had thankfully received minimal damage, being so far away from the epicenter of the attack. The Nara clan members were able to settle back in comfortably, and offer any aid towards the rebuilding of the village. 

Before she knew it, it was the morning of the funeral. For the first time since before the attack, Kazue and her family were eating breakfast together. They ate quietly, all dressed in black funeral garb. 

Something occurred to Kazue just then. “Oba-chan?”

Yoshino looked up. “Something wrong, Kazue-chan?”

“Will everyone in the clan be attending the funeral?”

“Everyone who is physically able will be attending, yes.” The adults were now looking at her curiously. “Why?”

“I wanted to find Saburo-san. To thank him for helping us.” Kazue didn’t think that Yoshino would have had the strength to carry Kazue and Shikamaru to safety so quickly. Not while critically injured. Without Saburo, Kazue was certain that she would have received more than a cut on her arm. 

Upon hearing her words, the mood in the room plummeted. Yoshino glanced at the now-weary Shikaku, who set down his utensils. 

Oh. 

Haruki sighed deeply. “Saburo-san is dead,” he said softly. 

Kazue looked back down at her plate, swallowing harshly. She knew that a lot of people had died, but… this made it more real, somehow. 

An image came forward in Kazue’s mind. The Ten-Tails shooting a massive bijuu dama at the Allied Shinobi Forces’ Headquarters, leading to the death of Nara Shikaku…

Kazue flinched. “May I be excused?”

Yoshino’s voice was sad. “Yes.”

Kazue left the room quietly, and went straight into the backyard. So many people like Saburo had died… women and men and children alike. It felt more real, now. How many wives or husbands were now widows? How many kids were now orphans? 

These families would never see their loved ones again. They would know nothing about their loved ones’ last moments. 

Kazue was probably one of the last people who’d seen Saburo alive. There was something significant about that. She walked over to Yoshino’s flower garden and carefully picked out an iris. She remembered these flowers from her past life, remembered receiving them at her little brother’s funeral. Hope. That’s what it symbolized. 

When Haruki came to fetch her for the funeral, he said nothing about the flower in her hand. They walked slowly through the village as more and more people joined the slow progression to the Hokage tower. As a clanhead family, their place for the funeral was atop the Hokage tower. The entire village was quiet and somber. Everyone had been affected by this tragedy, and it reflected in the villagers’ behavior. 

Kazue saw the Sandaime for the first time standing in front of them. His hair wasn’t completely grey yet; instead, it was a deep brown and cropped short. He sported a goatee and had the familiar markings around his eyes. His eyes were hooded today, face lined with grief. 

Kazue suddenly remembered that the Sandaime had lost his wife as well. 

Shikaku left to join the clan heads at the front of the line, where she caught Inoichi’s blond hair and Choza’s crimson mane. Kazue also thought she saw a brief flash of silver hair, though she couldn’t be sure. She held tightly to her father’s hand-- the iris held gingerly in the other-- as they settled in behind Shikaku. Yoshino stood beside them, Shikamaru quiet in her arms. 

There were portraits of some of the fallen beyond the Sandaime. In the center was the image of a bright-eyed blond man. Beside him, a beautiful young woman with crimson hair and mischievous eyes. By the end of the line, there was a familiar man, with laugh lines around his eyes and kind onyx eyes. Nara Saburo. 

Once everyone had arrived, the Sandaime spoke. 

“Two weeks ago,” the Saidaime began gravely, “Konohagakure was struck by tragedy. Many shinobi died giving their lives to protect the village. The Yondaime gave his own in order to defeat the Kyuubi no Kitsune. These shinobi were willing to give everything in order to protect our sacred home. They fought bravely, and their Will of Fire shone brightly until the very end.

“These valiant fighters embodied what it means to be a Konoha shinobi; they possessed the same strength, devotion, and courage that has been passed down since the Shodaime himself. As such, we honor their sacrifices. Their deaths were not in vain, for Konohagakure still stands strong. As the Shodaime once said when he first established Konoha, ‘A fire is blazing where the leaves are dancing. The shadow of the fire is illuminating the village. The leaves will sprout once again.’ Let us now have a moment of silence for the fallen.”

Everyone bowed their heads in unison. 

Will of Fire, Kazue mused. 

This wasn’t the first she was hearing of it. She knew about the blind devotion that many shinobi possessed for their village. 

Kazue…. Kazue didn’t understand it. In the Before, people complained if something unjust was occurring. They rioted. They demanded a change in leadership. 

It was hard to feel so devoted to a village that had turned a blind eye so many times. However… while Kazue didn’t understand devotion to organizations, she understood devotion to people. 

~~~~~~~

“What do you want for your birthday, sister?” Her little brother was looking at her seriously, though his chocolate eyes were sparkling. 

“I,” she tapped his nose gently, making his face scrunch up in a scowl, “don’t need anything. Except maybe a card. And your presence.”

“Besides that, dummy” her little brother whined, rubbing his nose. “You don’t have to ask me for those things-- I was gonna do that anyway!”

Kazue also understood being willing to do anything for someone. 

“His heart’s not beating,” the paramedic warned his partner briskly. “Prep the defibrillator.”

Her world was ending. How could this be happening? “Please!” she cried out to no one, anyone. “Please don’t take him! Take me instead!”

“Step aside, ma’am--”

~~~~~~~

Kazue had lost her family in the Before, but she refused to let it happen again. She’d protect her family no matter what. 

Perhaps ... perhaps that could be her Will of Fire. 

After the funeral, the air was thick and heavy as people dispersed. Kazue took this as an opportunity and tugged on her father’s sleeve. He looked down at her, and Kazue tried not to dwell on the weary look in his eyes. “Yes?”

Kazue took a deep breath. “Did Saburo-san have any family?”

Something in Haruki’s eyes sharpened with understanding. “Yes, he did. A wife, and two small children.”

“Could you show me where they are, tou-san?”

Haruki bid farewell to Yoshino before leading her to Saburo’s portrait, where a small family was gathered. There was a young woman, pale-faced and with blood-shot eyes, standing with two small children. 

Kazue squeezed her father’s hand briefly before letting go and approaching the family. She could feel Haruki’s gaze on her. 

“Nara-san?”

The woman looked up, startled, and her gaze fell on Kazue. “Hello, child. Who are you?”

A young girl, perhaps a bit younger than Kazue, peered around her mother at Kazue. There was another boy-- perhaps ten years-old-- holding onto her sister’s hand. He barely paid her any heed, staring instead at his father’s portrait numbly. 

Kazue pushed past the ache in her heart. “My name is Nara Kazue. Saburo-san helped us the night of the attack. He saved my and my cousin’s life,” Kazue said honestly, before holding out the iris. “I wanted to say thank you, and I’m very sorry for your loss.”

The woman stared at the iris before reaching for it with a shaking hand. She knelt down in front of Kazue and grasped her hands gently. “Thank you, Kazue-chan. That’s very kind of you.” The woman gave Kazue a small, genuine smile. “I’m glad that my husband was able to help you.”

Kazue bowed deeply before turning away and making her way back to her father. 

Haruki had been watching the entire time. There was a new look on his face that warmed Kazue to her core. He scooped her up when she reached his side and hugged her tightly to his chest. 

“I’m very proud of you, Arashi-chan,” he whispered softly in her ear. “Your kaa-chan would have been very proud, too.”

Kazue tightened her grip in response. 

…………………………..

Kazue’s formal training began a week later. 

After breakfast, Haruki took her to the Nara training grounds, where he sat her down to talk. “What,” Haruki began seriously, “do you think is Konoha’s greatest asset?”

Kazue thought back to the Sandaime’s speech at the funeral about the Will of Fire, about working together to stop a common enemy. “Teamwork. You always go on missions with Yuri, Isamu, and Hiroshi. Shikaku-oji has Choza-san and Inoichi-san.”

“Good. Remember that above all else, Kazue. Konoha is founded on teamwork. If you can’t trust your comrades, then you might as well never become a shinobi. You’ll die on your first mission.”

Kazue nodded. Harsh words for a two year-old, but the Nara clan was never known for its sugar-coating. Kazue had grown used to this over the years. Shikaku himself was notorious for having a blunt, sharp tongue. 

With that, Haruki stood from his seat on the grass and led her towards the grounds, until they stood some yards away from a set of targets. Haruki had been given the week off in the aftermath of the attack, though Kazue knew he’d be pulled into more missions soon. It was hard to believe that her father was an ANBU, of all things. In made sense, though, in a twisted way. The hollow look in his eyes whenever he came back from certain missions was telling. 

“You have a long way to go before you can become a competent shinobi, Kazue,” Haruki went on, somber. “But it’s my job as your father and senior shinobi to pass along anything that’ll ensure the survival of you and your teammates. I’ll be helping you with your physical abilities-- anything from endurance, to combat, to weapons.”

“Hai, tou-san.”

At that, Haruki smiled softly and ruffled her curls. There was something in his smile, though… a combination of resignation and pride. “Let’s start with some laps, shall we?”

Oh, boy.

……………

Haruki helped Kazue with her training for the rest of the week. They trained every other morning before breakfast. Kazue began her sessions by running a few laps around the training grounds (she really wasn’t surprised to find how awful her endurance was) and finished her warm-up with some stretches. Afterwards, Haruki began teaching her some basic katas, guiding her through the unfamiliar motions. 

Kazue had never done any fighting in her previous life. She’d never been particularly graceful, either. Something told Kazue that taijutsu required a certain amount of coordination that Kazue was almost certain that she lacked. She therefore quickly realized that… she sucked at taijutsu. 

“This is what you’ll be learning in the academy,” Haruki warned her one morning. “But this won’t be your final taijutsu stance, since the Nara clan has its own brand of taijutsu. What do you think are our clan strengths and weaknesses? Take Shikaku, for instance.”

Kazue chewed on her cheek in thought. “Shikaku-oji is really smart, but he doesn’t really like to move. He likes doing things quickly.”

Haruki nodded, pleased. “Our clan is known for its intelligent shinobi-- we’re able to strategize under pressure. Our greatest weakness, though, is stamina. We have low stamina, and therefore our taijutsu isn’t as strong as other shinobi’s. Because of that, our clan developed a taijutsu style that minimizes interaction with the enemy, and works well with quick strategies.”

“But I need to know basic katas first, right?” Kazue clarified, and her father nodded. 

After taijutsu, Haruki took her over to the training targets and handed her a set of dulled kunai. He spent time going over the right grips to have on the kunai, and the correct way to flick the wrist as the kunai was thrown. This wasn’t quite as bad as he katas, but Kazue still found it difficult to maneuver her body so the kunai had a straight trajectory. Her progress was somewhat linear, though, so Kazue counted that as a win. 

……………….

After that, Haruki and his team were pulled out for another mission. Haruki did leave Kazue a sensible training regimen for her while he was gone. It was clear that her father was being cautious about not being too harsh on Kazue, instead giving her just enough work to keep her mind occupied. 

The morning after Haruki’s departure, Shikaku took her to their backyard while Yoshino played with Shikamaru on the back porch. Her uncle sat on the grass with her, for once looking moderately attentive. 

“Haruki asked me to help you with chakra manipulation,” he said off-handedly. 

Kazue blinked. “Like the leaf exercise?”

Shikaku nodded. “Amongst other things. You’re aware of chakra, but do you know what it is?”

Kazue shook her head silently. While she vaguely knew about chakra, she’d forgotten its formal definition. She knew that chakra was used to essentially defy the laws of physics, as well as to manipulate the elements, but that was the extent of it. 

“Chakra is a form of energy, made up of two nature transformations as well as five basic elemental transformations. The first nature transformation,” Shikaku held up a finger, “is yang release, which is the energy of the physical body. Second,” Shikaku held up another finger, “is yin release, which is the energy of the spirit and imagination. This nature release can be used to manipulate intangible ideas. What is the Nara clan known for besides research?”

Kazue’s answer was immediate. “Shadow techniques.”

Shikaku’s gaze was sharp. “Yes. Because shadows are intangible concepts, their manipulation falls under yin release-- spiritual energy. I,” her uncle went on, studying Kazue curiously, “have a theory. You’ve been aware of your chakra essentially your entire life. You’ve also always been very self-aware. It’s not preposterous, therefore, to assume that you most likely have a good grasp on your spiritual energy.”

Huh. Kazue wondered if perhaps her excessive awareness of the chakra within her had something to do with it. Perhaps the fact that Kazue had been reincarnated could also play a role in this new development? In any case, Kazue already had a faint idea of where this was going. 

“Normally,” her uncle went on, “We don’t teach clan members shadow techniques until their last year in the academy. Our clan techniques can not only be draining, but they require a very special manipulation of yin chakra. However, I’ll be making an exception for you.”

To be fair, that did sound marginally more interesting than taijutsu. Knowing Nara shadow techniques allowed the user to be more of a mid-to-long-range fighter, depending on how far the reach of their shadow was. As someone who had already proven fairly abysmal at hand-to-hand combat, this sounded like a nice alternative.

“However, we need to build up your chakra storage. Your control is already better than most kids, but we’ll also need to work on that before I teach you any of our techniques. Let’s get started.”

Kazue suddenly pictured herself falling off trees like Naruto and Sasuke as they learned tree walking, and her face paled. Yikes. 

………………….

The months passed quickly, and Kazue settled into her new routine. Her father had taken to giving Kazue scrolls and training regimens whenever he was gone. Yoshino would bring Shikamaru to oversee her training, and would sit beneath the shade of a tree while Shikamaru napped. 

For Kazue, it seemed more or less implied that Yoshino was no longer an active shinobi. It had taken her a long time to recover from Shikamaru’s birth, which made her wonder if Yoshino hadn’t stepped down simply to take care of her son. Whatever the case, Kazue spent most of her time with Yoshino and Shikamaru, especially when her father was away.

A couple of times, while Shikaku looked after Shikamaru, Yoshino would took her back to the Nara research facilities. Recently, her aunt had taught her to make a salve to soothe the calluses on her hands from kunai training. 

True enough, Shikamaru was proving to be a miniature Shikaku. Kazue had caught on to her little cousin’s prodigious intelligence from the beginning, but little Shikamaru seemed intent on sleeping the day away, much to Kazue’s amusement and Yoshino’s exasperation. 

Shikaku spent most of his time in the village, not that Kazue saw him that often. Yoshino had explained that though Haruki and Shikaku were both jounin, they held different positions. Thus, Shikaku’s position as jounin commander prompted him to stay in the village to oversee its shinobi. Most evenings, though, Shikaku would lounge in the backyard, overseeing Kazue’s chakra training. Often, Yoshino and Shikamaru joined them as well. Kazue loved making Shikamaru laugh by sticking as many leaves to her face as possible. 

Still, it was difficult not to worry about Haruki. Now that she knew her father was ANBU, she always had the worst case scenarios in mind. ANBU didn’t have the best reputation, after all. 

Ever since the Nine-Tails’ attack, Haruki’s team had been pulled into more and more missions. He’d be gone for weeks at a time, only to come home exhausted and increasingly numb. 

Soon, the first signs of summer came over Konoha. Though Kazue would be turning three soon, she was surprised at the amount of freedom her family had given her. As long as Kazue slept at the Nara clan head’s house whenever Haruki was gone, she could still navigate back and forth between both houses by herself. 

At times, the Nara clan’s customs never seemed to surprise her. Kazue often wondered if this was how they treated all of their children-- treating them as equals, never speaking down to them or sugar-coating their words. Whatever the case, Kazue was pretty grateful. 

That evening, Kazue was home by herself. She’d been told that her father was coming soon, and wanted to be home to ensure the house was still somewhat tidy. Kazue wasn’t particularly adept at deep cleaning anything, considering that she still had a toddler’s body, but she could at least declutter the space. Besides, she was practically shaking with excitement! He’d been gone for a month-- the longest time yet-- and she’d seriously missed him. 

Kazue froze in the midst of picking up a stray sock when the front door opened silently. With a grin, Kazue ran out of her room. “Tou-san!”

She froze. 

Her father was slumped over on the couch, staring blankly down at the ground. His ANBU uniform was drenched in blood, cracked masked hanging loosely from his belt. Haruki’s face was haggard, unshaven. There was a large bruise on the side of his face. 

“Tou-san?”

Haruki didn’t reply, and Kazue recognized shock for what it was. 

This had happened to Haruki before, but it had never been this bad. 

Kazue approached her father slowly. He turned his head slightly in her direction, though that was his only sign of recognition. She stopped when she was standing in front of him, and gently took ahold of his hand. “You should get cleaned up, tou-san.”

Haruki let himself be guided into the bathroom, and Kazue had him on the edge of the bathtub while she gathered the first-aid kit, along with a bucket of warm water and a washcloth. 

Kazue quickly set to work, gently wiping away at the blood on his arms and face. She tugged off his weapons belt and armguards. As she cleaned him up, Kazue chatted about anything and everything. She told Haruki of her stamina training, told him about her lessons with Shikaku, about the new salve she’d learned to make, about how Shikamaru liked cloud-watching with her. Haruki’s gaze was distant and unfocused, but became more attentive the longer Kazue spoke. 

Kazue took out some of the healing salve she’d made and dabbed it on his cheek gently, before going into his room and retrieving a set of pajamas. She came back into the bathroom, and something inside of her cracked at seeing him there. He looked so… despondent, drained in a way that was becoming terrifyingly familiar for Kazue. 

Kazue set the clothes on his lab before tugging on his hair lightly. “Can you change into into these, tou-san? Then you can go to sleep.”

At that, some sense seemed to snap back into Haruki. He blinked at her slowly before nodding silently. Kazue smiled at him and moved to wait outside. 

After a few minutes of shuffling, Haruki opened the door again. Carefully, Kazue took ahold of his hand and walked into his room, letting him collapse on the bed with a weary exhalation. Kazue climbed in next to him and snuggled into his side. 

“Good night, tou-san.” She mumbled. 

Hesitantly, slowly, Haruki’s arm reached out and tugged her closer. 

“...Good night, Arashi-chan.”

……………...

Kazue’s third birthday passed with little fanfare. Haruki was out of the village once again, so Kazue spent the morning with Yoshino and Shikamaru while Shikaku was at work. After a brief breakfast, Yoshino spoke up. 

“How about we go to the park, Kazue-chan? I can bring some bentos to eat there.”

“Okay!” Kazue grinned. 

And they set off. Kazue held onto Yoshino’s hand, Shikamaru settled comfortably in Yoshino’s other arm, and they walked to the park. They settled on a blanket a ways away from the playground, and Kazue laid down next to Shikamaru while Yoshino took a book out of her bag. 

Above them, the sky was sunny, littered with fluffy white clouds of all shapes and sizes. Kazue pointed out a particular cloud. “Look, Shika-chan,” she said, “that looks like a little bunny!”

Shikamaru let out a gurgling laugh. One of his hands reached out and tugged on her curls, and Kazue grinned. Shikamaru wasn’t yet walking or talking much, though Yoshino had told Kazue this was purely out of laziness. “Shika-chan knows that if he starts walking, he won’t be carried places anymore,” Yoshino told Kazue exasperatedly. “I’ve already caught him standing up in his crib. As soon as I walk in, he falls over!”

Yoshino chuckled at them. “He only tugs on people’s hair because you do it, Kazue-chan!”

“Yoshino-san!” a feminine voice calls out. 

Kazue sat up to see the newcomers, and--

“Mikoto!” Yoshino cries out, delighted. “I haven’t seen you in ages!”

Walking towards them was a beautiful woman with all of the Uchiha trademarked looks. She had delicate features, porcelain skin, and glossy dark hair. There was another baby in her arms, and a boy walking along beside her. 

The little boy had similar features to his mother, along with the wide, onyx eyes that were constantly swimming in curiosity. 

Yoshino stood as they approached. Kazue took this as a cue to stand as well, and gathered the now-sleepy Shikamaru in her arms before getting to her feet. Shikamaru had taken one look at them before deeming them unimportant and closing his eyes to doze off. Kazue suppressed a snort. 

“I have to apologize about that,” Mikoto said sincerely. “Things have been busy in the clan.”

Yoshino’s eyes widened. “That’s right. The Uchiha clan has relocated, correct?”

Mikoto hesitated before speaking. “Yes. In any case, today was a light day, so we decided to come to the park.” 

“I see. Is that your newborn?”

Mikoto looked startled. “Oh, I’m sorry! How rude of me. You’ve already met Itachi,” her eyes shifted fondly toward her eldest son, “He’s six now; I can’t believe it! And this,” she looked down at the sleeping baby in her arms, “is Sasuke. He just turned one about a month ago.”

Yoshino cooed at Sasuke, smiling. “It’s likely that he’ll be in the same class as Shikamaru, then! His birthday is in September.”

Upon hearing his name, Shikamaru’s eyes opened up a sliver. Kazue grinned down at him and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “It’s okay, Shika-chan. Go back to sleep.”

“This,” Kazue felt a familiar hand atop her curls. “Is Kazue. She’s my niece, and she’s turning three today! Kazue, this is Uchiha Mikoto, an old friend.”

Mikoto smiled down kindly at Kazue. “Happy birthday, Kazue-chan! What have you been up to today?”

Kazue bowed her head in greeting. “Tou-san’s on a mission, so we were just spending the day at the park, Mikoto-san. I was cloud-watching with Shika-chan,” she added, almost as an afterthought. 

“Oh,” Yoshino said, “why don’t you play with Itachi, while Mikoto and I talk for a bit?”

At that, Itachi and Kazue locked eyes. Itachi was staring curiously at Kazue with his expressive dark eyes. 

Huh. She had definitely not imagined that her first play date would be with Uchiha Itachi, of all people. Did he even like to play? Then again, Kazue didn’t remember ever playing anything, especially not in the Before. She had played with her little brother, though she’d been in her teens by then. 

Judging by the slight scrunched up look on Itachi’s face, Kazue figured he’d never played, either. 

“Oba-chan?” Kazue asked as she handed over Shikamaru. “Could Itachi-san and I go kunai-throwing?”

Yoshino smiled knowingly. “If that’s okay with Mikoto-san, then I don’t see why not.”

“I’m fine with that,” Mikoto said slowly, though she was staring curiously at Kazue.

“Thank you!” Kazue took her weapons pouch-- a gift from her father-- out of Yoshino’s bag and set off, Itachi falling quietly into step beside her. 

“Sorry, Itachi-san,” Kazue said lightly. “I don’t really play that often, unless it’s with Shika-chan. I hope that’s okay with you.”

Itachi studied her sideways. Kazue noticed that Itachi was a very observant child, always analyzing people’s actions and words. This was probably a bit unsettling for many people, no doubt. Kazue, however, had been a lot like that in the Before. “It’s the same for me, Kazue-san,” Itachi replied quietly. 

“Just Kazue is fine, Itachi-san.”

Itachi blinked slowly. “Then… Itachi is fine as well.”

Kazue smiled. He was such a polite boy, and easier to talk to than most kids. Kazue had always had that problem. Though her current family had never pressured her into talking to other kids, it had happened in the Before. She’d never been able to talk to kids her age. 

They stopped when they arrived at the training field, though something occurred to Kazue then. “I only have dulled kunai. Is that okay?” Though they could still stick to the target, they weren’t as sharp as standard issued kunai. 

“That’s alright. I also started with dulled kunai. Otousan had me start training with sharp kunai only recently.”

Kazue blinked in surprise. “Are you joining the academy soon?”

“In a few weeks.” 

Itachi was a beast when it came to kunai throwing. He was truly a prodigy in every sense of the word, especially with physical prowess, which Kazue still majorly sucked at. Kazue was pretty sure that her jaw hung on the floor when Itachi effortlessly hit the bullseye ten times in a row. When he was done, he looked back at Kazue, almost… apprehensively?

Oh. He probably hadn’t had a great experience when it comes to training with other children. It wasn’t unusual for kids to grow jealous and throw a fit. If anything, though, it probably made him uncomfortable, so Kazue smiled encouragingly. 

“That was amazing! You used a different grip than I did,” she noticed. “Could you show me how you did it?”

It was interesting to see true surprise flicker across Itachi’s face. Even at six years-old, Kazue doubted that many things truly stunned him. It was quick to vanish, though, and was soon replaced by a tentative but genuine smile. “Of course.”

They spent the remainder of the time practicing their kunai throwing. Itachi helped her fix her grip, and by the end of their session, Kazue could note a significant increase in her accuracy. It turned out that Itachi had created his own original way to grip the kunai, which ended up also helping Kazue more as well. By the time Mikoto and Yoshino came to fetch them, Kazue was surprised by how much she’d enjoyed herself. 

“Did you have fun?” Yoshino asked them kindly. 

Kazue nodded. “It was nice to meet you.”

“You as well, Kazue. Happy birthday.”

Kazue grinned, grabbing Shikamaru when he lazily reached out for her. She propped him up on her hip, and he took the opportunity to tug on her curls. “Thanks, Itachi!”

“Sounds like you made a new friend, Itachi,” Mikoto said, eyes glimmering. 

Yoshino chuckled. “I hope we can see you all at Shikamaru’s birthday party in a month.”

“Of course,” Mikoto replied. “We wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

After bidding each other goodbye, Yoshino took back Shikamaru and they set off back home. Though it was late afternoon, the skies were still beautifully light. A summer breeze blew around Kazue’s curls, and she breathed in deeply. After almost a year, the village’s renovations were moving along quickly, though not everything was complete. The streets remained lively, however. 

They were back inside of the Nara compound when Yoshino started smiling. Almost immediately afterwards, Kazue felt some very familiar presences inside of the Nara clan head home. 

Kazue ran inside gleefully and threw herself at a familiar figure, who caught her readily. “Tou-san!”

Haruki laughed heartily, hugging her tightly. “Happy birthday, Arashi-chan!” 

To Kazue’s delight, Haruki’s entire team had come. They were all sporting standard uniforms, so they must have had time to change. They, along with Shikaku, were gathered in the family room. 

“Chibi-chan!” Yuri wiped mock tears from his eyes. “They grow up so fast.”

Isamu rolled his eyes with mirth. “What he means to say is, ‘Happy birthday.’”

“I thought you were supposed to be on a mission?” Kazue asked curiously.

“The mission was cut short,” Hiroshi replied, standing from his perch on the couch. “We came straight here. Happy birthday, Kazue.”

Kazue grinned brightly. “Thanks, Hiroshi!”

“Let’s go into the dining room,” Shikaku drawled out after giving Yoshino a quick peck in greeting. “Dinner’s ready.”

Kazue’s eyes widened. “You made dinner?”

Haruki snorted, waving her words away. “If he had, I’d be worried for our health. No, he ordered out.”

Everyone laughed, though it didn’t quite drown out Shikaku’s muttered, “Tch.”

And so, they all settled down for Kazue’s birthday dinner. It was a lighthearted affair. Most of all, though, Kazue was ecstatic to have all of her loved ones in one room. She saw enough of these people individually, but rarely in the same place. 

Halfway into dinner, Yoshino spoke up nonchalantly. “Kazue-chan made a new friend today. Such a nice boy.”

Haruki’s chopsticks froze on their way up to his mouth. 

Shikaku’s eyes narrowed. 

Yuri’s screeched “What?” was immediately followed by Isamu’s slap to the back of Yuri’s head, which was immediately followed by a roll of Hiroshi’s eyes. 

Shikamaru looked up curiously at the ruckus. 

Kazue could feel her own cheeks flaming. 

“A boy?” Haruki demanded, looking incredulously at Kazue. “What boy?”

But Yoshino gleefully answered before Kazue could even open her mouth. “Uchiha Itachi,” she said serenely. 

Something in Shikaku’s gaze sharpened. “Fugaku’s boy?”

“Isn’t he six?” Her father asked faintly. 

“Chibi-chan got a boyfriend on her birthday?” Yuri borderline wailed. “She’s too young to have a boyfriend!”

Isamu leaned forward in mock seriousness. “Should we have a talk with this boy, Kazue-chan?”

Hiroshi’s pale eyes were dancing with amusement. 

Meanwhile, Haruki looked actually troubled. “Itachi isn’t your boyfriend, right, Kazue-chan?”

“N-no!” Kazue stammered indignantly. She wished there was a button to stop the heat rising to her cheeks. “That’s gross!”

At that, Shikaku snorted, leaning back. 

Her father patted her head, relieved. “Good.”

Meanwhile, Yoshino was trying to suppress her giggles behind her hand. Kazue shot her a flat look. Traitor, she mouthed. 

Yoshino cackled.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe, at its core, Konoha really wasn’t so different from her world in the Before. Kazue didn’t know if she should consider that comforting or disappointing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm bad at summaries so I just added a little snippet from the chapter :D
> 
> I apologize for the late update-- classes are kicking my butt oof *insert college memes to ease the pain here*
> 
> ALSO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE SUPPORT I AM SO GLAD EVERYONE IS ENJOYING THE STORY IT MAKES ME WANT TO CRY HAPPY TEARS SO THANK YOUUUUU!!! :D <3
> 
> I hope you enjoy the chapter!! Exciting things are coming up, and even more familiar canon faces!!

Shikamaru’s first birthday party turned out to be a gathering for future clan heads, much to Kazue’s amusement. 

Though it hadn’t occurred to Kazue that there were probably political undertones to this event, it made sense. Sort of. It probably had something to do with clan relations and etiquette and other things that made her head spin. At any rate, she was grateful that she didn’t have to be clanhead. 

Though it was his birthday, Shikamaru didn’t seem particularly willing to interact with the guests. Instead, he chose to latch onto Kazue and take a nap. 

“You’re going to have to interact a little bit with everyone at least,” Kazue pointed out rationally. “Or else you’ll be rude.”

Shikamaru groaned, tightening his grip on Kazue. “No.”

So he speaks, Kazue thought in amusement. Shikamaru had been speaking more and more lately, much to Yoshino’s relief. Most of his vocabulary did emulate his father, though. “Why not, Shika-chan?”

“...Troublesome.” he mumbled into her shirt. 

Kazue couldn’t stop the snort that escaped her then, but quickly sobered up. She gently pried Shikamaru off her so she could look at him clearly. “How about this,” she said conspiratorially. “If you’re polite to all of the guests, I’ll talk oba-chan into letting us stay up late so we can look at the stars.”

Shikamaru’s eyes widened. Hook. 

“But you have to talk to everyone at least for a little bit,” Kazue continued. 

Her cousin’s onyx gaze sharpened in consideration. Line. 

Shikamaru sighed deeply. “Fine.” And sinker. 

A few hours later, the guests started arriving. Kazue held Shikamaru’s hand and stood alongside her aunt and uncle to meet everyone as they walked through the front door. Kazue didn’t catch many more glimpses of the clan heads after they all crammed into Shikaku’s study. She did talk to Inoichi and Choza later on, though, before all the children were ushered outside. 

Soon, there was a gaggle of kids causing a ruckus in the backyard. Even Kazue was mildly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of spawn in front of her. Shikamaru, true to his word, had greeted his guests. The little devil had found a loophole in the plan, though, because he was now dozing beneath the shade of a tree. There was a small boy with marked plump cheeks sitting next to him, idly sucking on a lollipop. 

On the other side of the field, admiring Yoshino’s flower garden were three young girls. It wasn’t hard to spot Hinata’s startling pupil less eyes and black locks that verged on violet. Next to her was an exuberant blond girl with pale blue eyes, who was holding a white rose in her hand. That had to be Yamanaka Ino. They were both listening to an older girl-- maybe nine or ten years old-- with brown hair, triangular markings on her cheeks, and features that leaned towards the more animalistic side. Inuzuka Hana. 

Running around-- well, more like toddling around-- were three very distinct boys. Hyuga Neji did not look much different than his older counterpart in physical looks. His attitude, however, was mildly staggering to Kazue. The little boy was giggling as he stumbled around the field without a care in the world. 

Uchiha Sasuke was very much the same. Though Kazue recognized him from their meeting at the park, the Uchiha fan emblazoned on his back was impossible to miss. He was toddling after Neji along with what could only be a young Inuzuka Kiba, judging by his resemblance to his sister. 

In a way, Kazue shouldn’t have been surprised by this occurrence. They were barely into their toddler years. It made sense that they’d be unburdened children, joyful and energetic. Ino, for instance, was paying no heed to Sasuke, instead listening to Hana with rapture. Sasuke exuded cheer as he chased after Neji, bumping arms with a cackling Kiba. 

They were innocent children. None of them had been corrupted by their futures yet. There was something bittersweet about this scene, yet ultimately melancholy. It was hard not to think about it, truthfully. Perhaps that was why Kazue was sitting off to the side by herself instead of joining the party. That, and the fact that little kids made her uncomfortable more often than not. 

Except Shikamaru, of course. 

“Kazue,” a voice greeted, taking a seat next to her. 

“Itachi,” Kazue said, startled. “Hello again.”

Itachi offered her a polite smile. “You seemed very lost in thought,” he observed. 

Kazue had to hide a smile at that one. No one could deny that Itachi was a prodigy. “Just thinking about the party. There’s a lot of kids here,” she mused. 

“You’re a kid too,” Itachi pointed out, puzzled. 

“There’s a lot of kids Shika-chan’s age,” Kazue corrected. “It’s a funny coincidence.”

Itachi hummed in thought. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence. It’s likely that clan heads like having children at similar times so they can be placed in genin teams together.”

Kazue’s eyebrows raised. “A political move,” she stated. 

Something flickered in Itachi’s eyes. “...Yes.” 

They fell into a comfortable silence as they stared at the kids playing. “Don’t you want to play, too?” Itachi finally asked. 

“Don’t you?” Kazue shot back. 

The Uchiha’s lips twitched. Touche, the look on his face seemed to say. “I… I’ve never enjoyed playing like that,” Itachi finally admitted. 

“Me neither,” Kazue said quietly. “What do you like doing?”

Itachi’s brows came together in thought. “ I like playing with Sasuke,” He finally said. “I like training with my cousin Shisui, too. I think you’d like him… maybe you can meet him one day.” 

Kazue smiled. “I’d like that.”

Itachi’s gaze never wavered. “What do you like to do?”

“I like training with tou-san and Shikaku-oji,” Kazue offered. “I like playing hide-and-seek with tou-san’s team, and making salves with oba-chan. I also like cloud watching with Shika-chan.” 

An idea suddenly occurred to Kazue, and she turned her gaze up. The sky was a bright blue, stamped with various fluffy white clouds. Perfect. 

With that, Kazue stood before turning back to the curious Uchiha at her side. “It’s a good day for cloud-watching, and Shika-chan’s already started. Would you like to join us?”

Itachi blinked curiously before finally nodding. “...Yes, thank you.”

………………

Amidst training and spending time with her family, Kazue’s life moved on. She settled into the comfortable routine of her morning training with her father whenever he was in the village, or having it be supervised by Yoshino instead. She would spend her days reading and playing with Shikamaru, or having her chakra training be supervised by Shikaku. At night, Kazue would either stay in Shikamaru’s room while her father was away, or she’d sleep in her own home. 

Haruki maintained his rigorous mission schedule, which never eased Kazue’s concern. Her father’s bouts of depression were erratic and spread out. Kazue tried her best to help; she would help clean his wounds, make him food, sleep in his room so he wouldn’t feel alone. 

It wasn’t long before Haruki moved on to teaching Kazue how to spar, which was as terrifying and tedious as she would have expected. It took her a long time to stop flinching everytime Haruki lashed out during their spars. Still, Kazue confidently maintained that she sucked at taijutsu. 

“You’re doing fine,” Haruki would assure her. “You just need to use your weaknesses to your advantage. You’re small, so you lack strength. Learn to become faster, more nimble, and that should help.”

So they focused on building up Kazue’s speed and agility. Kazue was truly amazed at how physically fit shinobi were; Her warm ups were longer now, and she was able to train for longer periods without becoming too tired. 

In any case, she was totally on board with her father’s plan. If it meant being able to avoid as many one-on-one fights as possible, then Kazue would be happy to run as many laps as necessary. 

Then came weapons, which was fine, she supposed. Itachi’s help had done wonders, truthfully. Still, there was something quite awkward about throwing kunai; Kazue’s short arms still made her movements a bit uncoordinated. 

Kazue was most satisfied with her chakra training. In many ways, chakra could be compared to any muscle in the body. If it was trained properly, chakra reserves could be expanded and be optimized to an extent.

Although, maybe that was her inner Nara speaking. Shikaku had started teaching her Shogi recently. Kazue hadn’t played much chess in the Before, but she found spending time with Shikaku in such a manner quite fun. Granted, he always crushed her, but it was still nice!

Shikaku taught her to meditate in order to be more in tune with her chakra reserves. This allowed for a greater awareness of one’s own chakra, and helped build a stronger link between the mind and the body. 

Kazue spent most of her free time raiding the Nara library. Their collection wasn’t as vast as the Konoha library, but guests needed genin status to obtain even the lowest levels of scrolls there. The Nara library, though, was pretty much open to anyone. Kazue had asked Shikaku if she could do some reading, but he’d waved away her inquiry almost immediately, saying she didn’t even have to ask. Though there were some forbidden scrolls, Kazue had access to a wide variety of content. 

She spent much time reading up on Konoha’s history, and the history of the elemental nations as well. While Shikamaru napped, Yoshino would sit with Kazue and answer any questions. Yoshino had also started teaching Kazue hand seals, which were just as awkward to form as she thought they would be.

In the midst of this routine, a year went by. Soon, Kazue’s fourth birthday was approaching. The weather in Konoha was still boiling, though there were some signs that September was just around the corner, judging by the cool breeze in the afternoons. 

The morning of Kazue’s fourth birthday, it was raining. Haruki had broken his arm on his last mission, so he was on strict leave for a week. While he recovered, his team had taken another short mission, much to his frustration. 

Kazue woke to the smell of miso soup and the sound of clattering pans in the kitchen. Rolling over, she stifled a giggle when she heard a muffled curse. Figuring she probably should put Haruki out of his misery, Kazue made her way into the kitchen. She arrived just in time to see Haruki fumbling around with an armful of plates, hovering around an over-boiling pot. 

“I’ll take this, tou-san,” Kazue said brightly, grabbing the pile of plates from his uninjured arm, being mindful of his cast. “Having trouble?”

Haruki shot his daughter a sheepish glance before giving the pot a stir. After four days of bedrest, there was stubble on his face, which made him look older than he was. Just like Kazue, he was barefoot and clad in pajamas, his hair still tousled from sleep. 

“I wanted to make your favorite, but it’s a bit hard with one arm,” he admitted, giving her hair a small ruffle. “Happy birthday, Arashi-chan.”

Kazue shot her father a grin as she set the plates down on the table. “Thanks, tou-san! Are we seeing Shika-chan and everyone else later, too?”

Haruki nodded, and they finally settled down to eat. “We’ll be having dinner over there; Yoshino’s been talking about what to cook all week. But,” Harki joked between bites, “I was thinking you could spend the morning here with your old man.”

“You’re not even twenty-five, tou-san,” Kazue pointed out dryly. 

Haruki shook his head in mock grief. “But you’re growing up so fast, Arashi-chan. Maybe you’re finally getting tired of me.”

Kazue rolled her eyes before snatching another piece of broiled fish. 

They spent the rest of breakfast bantering back and forth, then cleaned up in comfortable silence. In that time, Haruki seemed to sink into himself, lost in his thoughts. Kazue let him be, drying plates quietly beside him. 

Finally, Haruki broke the silence. “There’s something I want to show you, Kazue-chan.” He motioned for Kazue to follow him before making his way into his room. 

Kazue’s brows furrowed in confusion, but she followed him nonetheless. She found Haruki sitting on the edge of his bed, staring down intently at a photo album at his side. There was a new look in his eyes: a mixture of grief, love, and nostalgia. 

Silently, Kazue climbed into his lap and stared curiously at the photo album. There was a photo on the cover that depicted Haruki beside--

Kazue sucked in a breath. In the photo was a younger Haruki. His features were softer, his eyes less haunted as he smiled into the camera. In the photo, he had his arm around a petite young woman. In the picture, the woman’s lips were curled up in a grin, features dancing with amusement. She too had pale features, but a sharper bone structure. Her dark curls fell around her face wildly and in disarray, just like Kazue’s did. Most notable, however, were the woman’s eyes; this woman’s eyes were the color of the sky just before a thunderstorm, the kind of murky grey that was a harbinger of rain. They were the same shade as Kazue’s eyes. 

Haruki’s voice was so very soft when he spoke. Kazue knew what he was going to say before the words came out of his mouth. “This,” he pointed to the young woman, “is your kaa-chan.”

He said the words with such reverence that a lump rose up in Kazue’s throat. “She looks like me…”

Haruki’s grip on Kazue tightened, before he exhaled deeply. “...Yeah, she does. Her name was Akane. Igarashi Akane.”

Kazue’s brows furrowed. “Igarashi?” Fifty storms. 

“Akane was the last of her clan, since most had perished in the first and second wars. They were distinguished by their eyes and wild hair. The Igarashi clan also known for their lightning elemental manipulation, and their collaboration with the Hatake clan.”

Kazue’s heart skipped a beat. 

Haruki continued. “Akane told me that before Konoha was founded, both clans had formed an alliance. The signature Hatake white chakra worked well with the Igarashi lightning nature. They were a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. However, the alliance dissipated over time as both clans were hunted down after the first war. Akane worked with a Hatake briefly, but both clans are near extinct now. I think there’s only one Hatake left.”

Kazue felt a bit numb. “Just like me.”

The thought was more than a bit melancholy. She was the last piece left of a clan that had been around for generations. The last legacy. There was something lonely about that. Lonely and heavy. 

“Yes,” there was a deep sorrow in Haruki’s voice.

“What,” Kazue began hesitantly, “was kaa-chan like?”

“Akane-chan… she was radiant, full of life,” Haruki said wistfully. “You certainly get your motivation from her. She was really young when her parents passed, so she threw herself into becoming a shinobi worthy of protecting her loved ones. I was very lazy when I first met Akane, you know,” he confided humorously. “But being around Akane… I couldn’t sit still around her. She always made me want to do things.”

Kazue hummed softly, leaning into Haruki in silent support. “She sounds amazing.”

“She was,” he sighed out in agreement. “She always wanted to have children, too. She was so excited when she found out about you. Akane loved you even before she knew anything about you.”

Something warm yet equally heavy settled itself in Kazue’s chest. She could almost feel the nostalgia and regret rolling off Haruki in waves. It wasn’t too difficult to draw conclusions as to what happened to her mother. There must have been an accident during her birth. Kazue’s heart ached for her father. 

“Are there more pictures, tou-san?” Kazue asked quietly. 

She felt her father’s nod as he flipped open the photo album. The first photo was clearly from a long time ago. It featured a younger Haruki-- clearly no more than twelve years old-- with his arms around two other children. There was a young girl with wild curls and grey eyes who was beaming into the camera enthusiastically and a familiar, kind-eyed boy with a soft smile. Behind them was an older, nondescript man in a jounin uniform. 

“That,” he pointed to the young girl, “is your mother. She was in my genin team, and that’s how we met. The older man was Maki-sensei; he died on a mission a few years after this picture was taken, so you never got to meet him. And this other boy,” something amused trickled into Haruki’s tone, “is someone you’ve met many times before.”

Suddenly, it clicked, and Kazue gasped. “Isamu?”

Haruki chuckled. “He hasn’t changed much, has he?”

Kazue smiled softly. “I forgot that you were on the same genin team…”

“We were all in the academy together,” Haruki agreed. “I first met them when we were assigned to the same classroom…”

Kazue spent most of the day listening to Haruki’s stories in content. She hadn’t known much about her father’s past, but she was able to get a clear picture of his childhood. It turns out that Haruki was two years younger than Shikaku. He became close friends with Isamu and Akane after they were placed on a genin team together, though their team split up once they became chunin. Still, they remained close friends; Akane and Haruki fell in love shortly after becoming chunin. 

Before she knew it, it was time for dinner. Kazue and her father were welcomed warmly once they made their way to the Nara clan head’s house. Even Shikamaru ambled up to the front door as they arrived to latch onto Kazue, much to Yoshino’s mirth. 

There was a soft glint in Shikaku’s eyes when he saw Kazue. “Four years old already, huh? Troublesome…”

Yoshino rolled her eyes at her husband before giving Kazue a tight hug, mindful of Shikamaru. “You’re getting so big, Kazue-chan! I can’t believe it. Boys are going to be lining up to talk to you soon!”

At that, Shikaku glowered, making Yoshino snort. 

Haruki, however, spluttered. “Wha-- Yoshino! She’s only four!” He turned to Kazue desperately. “No boys yet, right?”

Kazue rolled her eyes, cheeks flaming. Still, her father was looking more faint by the minute, so she figured she should salvage the situation. “No, tou-san.”

Shikamaru unraveled himself from Kazue’s hold to look up at his mother with mild annoyance. “‘Zue-neechan doesn’t need any boys. She can go cloud watching with me instead.”

Kazue snickered. 

Soon, they settled down for dinner. Yoshino had truly gone all out this time; she’d prepared yakisoba, barbeque, and roasted vegetables. After they ate, though, the mood in the room became more serious. The adults all glanced at each other meaningfully. Kazue’s brows furrowed in confusion. 

Finally, Haruki broke the silence. “I’ve been speaking with Shikaku and Yoshino about your training,” he began. “You’ve been doing some very intensive training for the last two years.” At this point, he looked over at Shikaku. This time, Haruki’s face was carefully blank, though there was a hint of something in his eyes… resignation?

“We’ve taught you as much as we can,” Shikaku cut in bluntly. “You’ve received more than enough training to begin the academy.” At that, Kazue froze, but Shikaku continued. “Frankly, I would be surprised if you didn’t already know more than most advanced academy students…” he opened his mouth to say something else, but Yoshino’s sharp look cut him off. 

“We all think you’re ready to join the academy, Kazue,” Yoshino said seriously. “You’re more than prepared to start in the fall, if you’d like.”

It took some time for the words to register in Kazue’s mind. “That’s in a couple of weeks,” Kazue half-protested. “And students always join when they’re eight!”

“I’ve already spoken to the hokage about that,” Shikaku replied. “Exceptions can always be made if the individual is sufficiently prepared.”

“Uchiha Itachi also joined the academy early,” Haruki pointed out. 

Kazue’s mind raced. But Itachi had been six when he joined the academy, Kazue thought numbly. 

“We’ve been teaching you academy content for about a year now, Kazue,” Shikaku said bluntly. “Your abilities would be wasted if you held back from joining the academy. Besides, the Hokage is very partial to the idea. He encourages it, even.”

Kazue didn’t want to linger on that statement. It felt kind of ominous, to be honest. There was something… strange about the fact that the Hokage was thinking about her at all. 

“You’re more prepared to join the academy than a lot of older kids,” her father said kindly. “You shouldn’t be worried about your age.”

Kazue hadn’t known she’d been learning academy lessons for so long. She’d been able to handle her training lately, so perhaps going to the academy would be the same? 

“…Okay, then,” Kazue said. 

The adults in the room all nodded in acquiescence. There was a troubled pride in Haruki’s eyes. Yoshino even offered her a small smile. Shikaku’s face remained stoic, though Kazue had long ago stopped trying to decipher what her uncle was thinking. It was a long time before the heavy atmosphere in the room dissipated.

…………

Haruki was gone on a mission by the time Kazue’s first day at the academy arrived. Kazue had been staying in Shikamaru’s room for a few days now, and Yoshino woke them both up early to have breakfast together-- much to Shikamaru’s displeasure. 

Shikaku was cradling a cup of coffee in his hands when she and Shikamaru settled down to eat. Kazue had to stifle a fond smile upon seeing the two Nara males sitting next to each other. Both father and son had their hair down and tousled by sleep, and looked dead on their feet. Shikamaru was slumped over a glass of milk, lids half-closed. Shikaku looked marginally more alert, though he too had adopted the same slouch. 

Yoshino shot them both a glare as she settled down, and they immediately straightened up. The female clan head then turned to Kazue with a bright smile. “Are you excited for today, Kazue-chan?”

At that, Shikamaru blinked slowly. “What’s going on?”

“It’s my first day at the academy today,” Kazue said as she served herself breakfast. 

“But… You’re not old enough.”

“An exception was made for Kazue,” Shikaku grumbled out around his coffee mug. 

Shikamaru’s eyes cleared in realization, and he frowned. “You’ll be gone all day,” he protested. 

“It’s only a few hours, Shika-chan,” Kazue said apologetically. “How about we go cloud watching when I come back?”

At that, Shikamaru nodded slowly, appeased. 

They ate in comfortable silence for the rest of breakfast before Yoshino ushered them away to get dressed. It wasn’t long before the Nara family was standing by the front door, ready to go their separate ways. Yoshino and Shikamaru would be walking Kazue to the academy, while Shikaku would head over to the Hokage tower for a meeting. 

Shikaku turned to her with an intent gaze. “Do you have everything you need?”

Kazue nodded, nerves beginning to flutter up within her. Truly, she didn’t know why she was so nervous; she was a grown woman, after all. She was however, four years younger than most-- if not all-- of the first years. Kazue herself was used to being picked on; she’d been bullied constantly in the Before for being the youngest in class. No… it wasn’t the people that made her nervous. Not entirely, anyway. 

This was the first step to becoming a Konoha shinobi. This step brought her ever-closer to being out in the field, carrying out missions… killing people. Kazue was a pacifist. She’d never physically hurt someone in the Before. It was hard for Kazue to wrap her head around the fact that killing people was pretty much a damn profession here. Assassinations were legally carried out for money. 

Kazue swallowed, shaking off the dark thoughts. Judging by the softening in Shikaku’s eyes, he hadn’t missed her bout of nerves, either. “Um, yes. I also have the dulled kunai, just like you said.” Though Kazue had been training with sharp kunai for a few months, the academy required its first year students to start with dulled kunai, moving on to real ones for their last year. 

Shikaku nodded in acquiescence. Then, in a rare display of affection, he reached down and ruffled Kazue’s hair. “It’ll be fine,” he said gruffly as he straightened back up. “We’ll play a game of shogi later tonight.”

At that, Kazue had to smile. “Thanks, oji-san!”

And with that, they went their separate ways. Kazue held on to Yoshino’s shirt hem-- with Shikamaru cradled to her chest on the other side-- as they walked through the village. It was almost eight in the morning by now, so the village was already beginning to show signs of life. Merchants were setting up shop, various mouth-watering smells were beginning to emerge from restaurants, and shinobi were already taking to the roofs. 

They arrived at the academy with little fanfare, where a plethora of families were already gathered to drop off their children. Kazue internally cringed upon seeing the kids by the academy; they all looked clearly older than her. Any hopes she had of maybe looking inconspicuous flew out the window. 

Still, she stayed quietly at Yoshino’s side as she approached the entrance, where a chunin was handing out schedules. The chunin glanced up at them as they walked up. His brows drew together in mild confusion as his eyes drifted from Kazue, to Shikamaru. “...Name and year?”

Yoshino placed a gentle hand on Kazue’s head, and the chunin’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly. “Nara Kazue, first year.”

His gaze lingered on Kazue curiously as he handed her the schedule. Kazue took it with a strained smile. “Thank you.”

Yoshino peeked at the schedule in Kazue’s hand. “Room 3… and your sensei is Hayashi Kumiko. I’ve heard of her. She retired some time ago, but I didn’t know she had become a teacher… Come on-- we’ll walk you to the classroom.”

They followed the crowds into the academy, where Yoshino led them to the third door on the left, where a woman was standing at the threshold. She looked older than Yoshino by quite a bit, with lined features and light brown locks pulled back tightly into a bun. She wasn’t wearing the standard issued uniforms, either; rather, the woman was sporting a dark Japanese obi that ended mid-thigh, with bandages peeking out underneath. 

Immediately, the woman’s eyes locked onto Kazue, and she offered her a nod in greeting. “You must be Nara Kazue. My name is Hayashi Kumiko, but you’ll call me Kumiko-sensei.” Kumiko then turned to Yoshino. “You must be Yoshino-sama.”

Her aunt smiled, and waved a hand in the air. “Yoshino is fine, thank you. Please take care of my niece.”

“Of course, Yoshino-san.” Kumiko then shifted aside to let Kazue through. “You may take a seat anywhere, Kazue; we’ll be starting shortly.”

Kazue smiled at her new sensei. “Thank you.” She gave Shikamaru a quick peck on the forehead, who grumbled sleepily response, and gave her aunt a brief hug goodbye.

“We’ll pick you up after school,” Yoshino called out before turning away. 

Kazue made her way past Kumiko and into the room. In itself, it looked like a regular classroom, with long tables facing a podium, behind which was a large blackboard. The room was already mostly filled, much to Kazue’s anxiety. 

Sure enough, she was gawked at by various eight year-olds as she walked into the room. Kazue made her way to the back of the room and took a seat by the window. She could feel eyes boring into the side of her head as she took a seat. 

“Who invited the chibi?” Someone whispered loudly. A few snickers broke up. 

Kazue stared out the window, trying to repress a sigh. This was something Kazue had not missed at all from her past life. She didn’t think she’d ever have to go through this again, honestly. 

Besides, kids were mean. There were some incidents from Kazue’s childhood in the Before that were still engraved into her mind. As much as she tried to get over it, it seems that she never did, judging by her current state of discomfort. 

Kazue did her best to have her attention elsewhere. Still, it felt like a long time had passed before Kumiko walked into the room. Immediately, the class fell silent. The anticipation and excitement in the air was almost palpable. 

Kumiko’s voice was soft, but it still carried around the room. “You are here,” she began, “to become shinobi. The next four years of your life will be dedicated to learning about all aspects of shinobi life, to prepare you to be out in the field. For whatever time you are in my class, I will be committed to passing down as much knowledge as I can to ensure your survival.” 

Their teacher paused, and the entire class held its breath collectively. 

Kumiko’s eyes hardened. “Shinobi die every day. If you are not willing to accept this, then you should leave right now and seek another profession.”

The mood in the room plummeted. Something heavy and foreboding fell over the space like a blanket. If it weren’t for the fact that Kazue was used to hearing things like this from Shikaku, she would have been terrified. 

Indeed, many students were staring at Kumiko, shocked. Some student’s features were twisted in fear. Still, no one moved a muscle. 

After a few tense moments, Kumiko spoke again. “We’ll be spending the first week doing some preliminary evaluations so I can get a read on your abilities.”

A collective groan echoed through the room, but it was quickly silenced by Kumiko’s firm stare. “This week, we’ll be testing your taijutsu, physical endurance, mental ability, and kunai throwing. We’ll be starting with a written test…”

The week flew by in a flurry of testing. True to Kumiko’s word, the first day was spent testing their mental capabilities; they went over simple math, basic knowledge about the village, and there were even some questions on chakra. The next few days were spent running laps to test for endurance, doing kunai target practice, and practicing katas.

All in all, it was okay. The intelligence testing were pretty easy, though they were meant for children. While her physical speed wasn’t great due to her age, she was surprised to note that she did have a pretty good endurance (she made a mental note to thank her father for drilling her with laps so many mornings). Using the grip Itachi had taught her, Kazue was able to pull off what was hopefully a decent kunai throw demonstration. The instructors wouldn’t call out scores until the end of the week, so Kazue was still in the dark about her results. 

The last day of the week was spent doing a plethora of things. They started by running some laps outside before gathering around a chalk circle on the ground. “Today,” Kumiko announced, “we’ll be devoting the morning to do some light sparring.” Various groans rang out upon hearing this. 

Kazue fought the urge to slump over. There’s no way around this one, is there? She thought morosely. 

Beside Kazue, a civilian-born girl was whispering frantically to her friend. “I’ve never sparred in my life!” 

Kumiko’s voice rose, silencing the class. “It’s alright if you haven’t done this before,” she said with a glance to the young girl, who flushed. “We’ll begin with teaching you the proper way to spar with a comrade. You’ll begin and end your spars with the unison sign, which we talked about earlier this week. First person to get pushed out of the circle will end the match. The match can also come to a close if an individual is in a position that would be fatal in an authentic battle.” Kumiko paused to ensure that everyone understood before continuing. “We’ll start down the alphabet. Asami will be up against Benjiro first…”

And so, the rest of the morning was devoted to spars. As the spars progressed, Kazue’s sense of defeat didn’t particularly abate. Her faith in her own taijutsu skills was truly abysmal. She tried to focus on her father’s advice as the spars continued. Know your weaknesses. You’re short and you lack strength, so be fast and agile. 

Kazue noted that there was a wide range of abilities in this class. There was anywhere from civilian-born kids with no sparring experience-- like the girl earlier who’d been quickly taken down by an Inuzuka boy, judging by the markings on his cheeks-- to the more experienced children of shinobi. 

While there weren’t that many clan kids, there was one Uchiha boy. Though Kazue paid much attention to her fellow classmates in the last week, the Uchiha was a bit hard to miss, considering the glower he always gave her after she did anything. Speaking of which, didn’t the Uchiha boy have a name close to hers in the--

“Next up is Jiro versus Kazue.”

Immediately, the Uchiha boy’s eyes narrowed and he stepped out into the circle. 

...Fuck. 

The girls, almost on-cue, giggled and batted their eyelashes, making Kazue’s face twist in mild disgust. So fangirls are an actual thing then. Kazue made her way into the circle and held up her hand to make the sign of unison. Jiro stepped closer to mirror her. “There’s no way I’ll be beaten by a baby,” he sneered. 

Kazue blinked slowly. Yikes. Well, she did look quite young, so she supposed that was fair. Still, after a week of hearing the same comments, Kazue was getting a bit irritated. 

They both stepped back and settled into their defensive positions. Jiro was in an unfamiliar pose, which Kazue supposed must be his clan’s taijutsu. Kazue herself had been learning the Nara clan’s taijutsu techniques lately, so she settled into the now-familiar loose pose. 

“Begin!”

Immediately, Jiro launched himself forward. Kazue ducked under his outstretched arm quickly and brought up a knee to hit his exposed side. Jiro grunted, twisting around with a kick. At this point, their audience faded away. Kazue’s mind was racing, thinking of possible scenarios to end this quickly while simultaneously leaping sideways to avoid his kick. Rather awkwardly, she struck out her foot, clipping him on the chin, before landing once again.

Jiro growled in frustration, and Kazue’s eyes widened. Use his impatience and arrogance to wear him down. Evasion sounded a lot better than bruising her knuckles on an attempted punch, so Kazue began to duck, flip, and roll away from his attacks. 

As time went on, Jiro became more irritated. As a result, his moves became sloppier. Kazue just had to wait for an opening. 

“Stop moving, damnit!” Jiro finally snapped, and rather unceremoniously launched himself forward. There!

Kazue used his unsteady form to her advantage and kicked his legs out from under him, before quickly holding her hand up to his exposed chest, right where his heart was. 

“Winner: Kazue.” 

Kazue just barely heard her teacher’s voice, adrenaline still rushing through her veins and heart still pounding in her ears. It was still a bit numbing to hear those words. Around her, the entire class had grown utterly silent. Everyone was gawking at her now, and most of the girls were sending her annoyed scowls. Kazue fought the urge to grimace.

Judging by Jiro’s shocked face, he didn’t believe it either. Kazue held up a hand to offer him up, and that seemed to snap him out of his stupor. He scrambled up to his feet and glared at her fiercely, face flushed. There was something else in his eyes too, though. Something that shocked Kazue to her core… shame? Fear? 

“Now, make the unison sign,” Kumiko called out, sending Jiro an intent glance. 

Kazue held out her hand silently, and Jiro completed the sign quickly with a scowl before turning away. 

The rest of the day passed painfully slowly. Though Kazue positioned herself in the back, she couldn’t escape the stares and whispers. Kazue kept her eyes down in front of her firmly, though she could still feel their stares, which made her constantly on edge. She almost wept with relief when the class was dismissed. She packed up her stuff slowly, letting everyone else pile out of the room first. As Kazue was about to leave the classroom, though, Kumiko spoke. 

“Can I talk to you for a second, Kazue?”

That… didn’t sound good. Kazue nodded slowly, while simultaneously trying to remember what she’d done wrong. 

Kumiko must have figured out the expression on her face, because she offered her a small smile. “You’re not in trouble.” She handed Kumiko a white envelope. “I was wondering if you could give this to your father? Or to your aunt and uncle if he’s out of the village?”

Ah. “Sure, Kumiko-sensei.” Kazue paused.

“Is something the matter?”

“Well,” Kazue began slowly. “About my spar with Jiro today…”

Realization dawned on Kumiko’s eyes, and she sighed deeply. “You saw it too, then. That was very observant of you, Kazue.”

“He wasn’t just mad that I won,” Kazue said, biting her lip. “He looked almost… afraid?”

“Jiro is an Uchiha,” Kumiko stated, and there was something heavy in her voice. “They have different standards in that clan, and much higher expectations. Jiro’s father is especially strict with him, so it’s likely that he feared what his father’s reaction would be if he lost to someone so young.”

Kazue’s chest constricted. 

There was something ugly and painful unfurling itself inside of Kazue. “Jiro is one of the most talented students in our class!” Kazue protested. “It’s obvious that he’s trying his best, and isn’t that what really matters?”

“Hard effort isn’t good enough for a lot of people.” Kazue flinched, and kumiko’s face turned sympathetic as she ushered Kazue out the door. “Don’t blame yourself for this, Kazue. It would have been worse for Jiro if he’d found out that you were holding back. You should go ahead; don’t keep your aunt waiting.”

The hallways were empty in the academy now, and her footsteps echoed loudly. Kazue remembered her childhood in the Before, being afraid to come home at times. She didn’t understand why any parent would instill such fear in their child. 

The lump in Kazue’s throat that had been forming since her spar became almost unbearable. It… it wasn’t fair. Jiro was just a child. A child who was afraid of his father. 

“...Kazue?”

Kazue looked up, startled, only to realize that she was outside of the academy. Yoshino was staring down at Kazue in concern. Even Shikamaru had twisted around to frown down at Kazue. Her aunt reached forward and placed her hand against Kazue’s forehead. “Are you feeling okay?”

“I… yeah. Sorry.” Kazue had to forcibly shake off her solemn thoughts. “I’m just tired.”

Kazue’s reply had been less than convincing, judging by Yoshino’s doubtful gaze. Still, her aunt said nothing as they walked back home. Kazue stayed quiet, lost in thought as they walked. She caught Yoshino and even Shikamaru glancing down at her more than once, but Kazue couldn’t muster up the energy to say anything.

Honestly, Kazue was afraid she’d start crying the minute she opened her mouth. 

Once they were home, Kazue made a beeline towards Shikaku the second she sensed his presence in the family room. He looked up from his scroll as she walked in. Something must have shown on her face, because he motioned for her to join him. 

Wordlessly, Kazue climbed into Shikaku’s lap and buried her face in his flak jacket. She heard the crinkle of paper as her uncle continued to read his scroll, though one of his hands came up to sweep through her hair comfortingly. 

Kazue didn’t realize she’d been trembling until she felt the contrast of Shikaku’s steady hand on her curls. She sniffled, clutching onto him tighter. 

They stayed that way for some time. Kazue listened to the sound of her uncle’s heartbeat, paid attention to the occasional paper rustle, focused on the way his hand slowly moved through her hair until her tears finally stopped. 

Shikaku set down his scroll and gently pried her off him. There was an expectant look in his eyes. 

Kazue looked away. “Kumiko-sensei gave me a note for tou-san, but she told me to give it to you or oba-chan if he was on a mission.”

Shikaku hummed in reply, though his stare didn’t lessen. 

“...We sparred with each other in class today.”

“Who did you spar with?”

“Uchiha Jiro. I won, but he looked kind of… scared when it was over. And not because of me. I asked Kumiko-sensei, and she said it was because Jiro’s father wouldn’t like it if his son lost to a four year-old girl….” there was heavy implication in Kazue’s voice by the end of her rant. 

Something in Shikaku’s features tightened. “So what do you think Jiro’s father will do to his son if he finds out?”

Kazue flinched. 

Shikaku reached up to grasp her shoulders. “Do you know,” he said softly, “that others’ actions are not your fault? Jiro’s father is likely a jounin. His choices wouldn’t be influenced by a young academy student.”

The dam finally burst, and Kazue shrugged off her uncle’s grip, much to his surprise. 

“It’s not fair!” Tears were streaming down Kazue’s face again, and she wiped them away angrily. “It’s obvious how hard Jiro is working! I don’t understand why that can’t be good enough for some people! Why would anyone punish him for doing his best?”

Shikaku sighed deeply. “The Uchiha clan is under a lot of pressure at the moment,” he finally said. “Many feel as though they need to assert their strength in such vulnerable times.”

Kazue’s eyes widened. 

“I’m sorry that you were put in such a difficult situation, but take this as a lesson for the future. Even I cannot interfere with certain clan politics, especially when it comes to the Uchiha.”

That was… fucked up. Clans had so much power within Konoha had they even governed themselves to an extent. If an outsider ever saw something in another clan that they didn’t agree with, then they couldn’t even do anything about it. Even child abuse could not be interfered with. 

Still, this wasn’t the first time Kazue had come across a situation in which politics yielded skewed morals. People with power were allowed to get away with more. 

Maybe, at its core, Konoha really wasn’t so different from her world in the Before. Kazue didn’t know if she should consider that comforting or disappointing. 

Shikaku’s voice brought Kazue back to the present. “What’s this about a note from your sensei?” Somehow, though, Kazue got the feeling that Shikaku already knew what the note was about. 

Wordlessly, Kazue handed Shikaku the white envelope, trying not to flush. She hadn’t meant to lose her temper there. She could count on one hand the number of times Kazue had raised her voice at someone. The last time… it had been at her brother’s funeral. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“My secretary fucked up the times I was supposed to be meeting a potential client,” her father said brusquely. “I can’t miss this. I need to be on a plane now.”

The rage reared its head within her, all-consuming. “How fucking dare you? My brother is dead! Your son is dead! Do you not care at all?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kazue watched silently as her uncle read the note impassively, trying to ignore her drying cheeks. 

Instead, Kazue tried focusing on Shikaku’s reactions, only to fail. Her uncle’s face was as stoic as always. She’d never stopped being amazed at how brilliant her uncle was; in terms of perfecting her poker face, Kazue wouldn’t even know where to start. 

Not long passed before Shikaku’s looked up and his gaze drifted back over to Kazue. She waited expectantly, trying not to look too nervous, though she was betrayed by the rapid beating of her heart.

“Do you know what your sensei wanted to tell me?”

Kazue blinked. “Er… am I in trouble for something, oji-san? I haven’t been talking to the other kids much, but I didn’t think that would be a problem. It’s kind of… hard to talk to them.”

At that, Shikaku cracked a smile. “You’re not in trouble, Kazue-chan. And it’s okay if you find it hard to relate to other kids; I was the same when I was your age.”

Maybe it was a Nara thing. “Then what’s wrong?”

Her uncle’s features tightened seriously. “This note was about your placement in the academy,” he began. “Your sensei took a look at your scores and talked to her superiors. Everyone is of the opinion that your talents are wasted as a first year. They want to move you to the final year of the academy.”

Kazue froze. 

“While your strength could use some work,” her uncle continued, “you’ve mastered our clan’s taijutsu well enough that it doesn’t set you back too much. You have enough endurance to match some of the older kids, and your kunai throwing has also received top marks.”

He waited patiently for Kazue to absorb this information. “...Superiors?” She finally asked, though rather faintly. 

“The Hokage. I suspected something of the sort would occur, so I’ve also discussed this with him. He’s been aware of your chakra training, and of my intention to teach you our hidden techniques soon.”

Kazue’s mouth wasn’t catching up to her thoughts long enough. “I don’t know any jutsu,” she sputtered.

“You already have the chakra control for the three jutsu that are required for graduation,” Shikaku pointed out rationally. “You would have the entire year to master them, but I doubt it’ll take you longer than a couple of months. I’d also been planning on starting your hidden technique training in the following days, in spite of this note.”

But I’m four, Kazue wanted to splutter. She couldn’t believe that they wanted her to pull a Kakashi. She was nowhere near as talented as he’d been when he was younger! She sucked at taijutsu, for Kami’s sake! Speaking of which…

“Why is the hokage so interested in me, oji-san?”

Something flickered in Shikaku’s eyes, too quick to catch. Pride, maybe? But why? “For starters,” he said, “you’ve always had extraordinary chakra control. Not only that, but the awareness you have of your own chakra hasn’t been seen in many generations. Sandaime-sama believes you have great potential.”

“...Huh.” Kazue didn’t know whether to be flattered or apprehensive. Did anyone really want the hokage to be so interested in them? It sounded a bit like an early death sentence to Kazue. “What about tou-san? Does he know anything?”

“He’s aware. I told him of my suspicions a long time ago. He finally decided to support whatever you decide.” Shikaku paused to give Kazue a meaningful glance. “It is your choice, Kazue. Keep in mind that if you do this, you’ll be out in the field much sooner than you’d anticipated. Haruki should be home on Sunday, so take the weekend to think on it. You can always talk to any of us if you have any questions.”

Kazue swallowed, but nodded nonetheless. 

Yoshino’s voice called out from the kitchen, putting a temporary end to their conversation. “Dinner’s ready!”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kazue ruminates, meets someone new, and trains! (As always, I am bad a summaries...)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year everyone!
> 
> Long time no see. I'm really sorry about not updating sooner; I know a lot of you were looking forward to the next chapter. Frankly, this semester kicked my ass. My mental health went down the drain oof...
> 
> But now the semester is over, and I'm feeling much better. I hope everyone is staying happy and safe. Enjoy the new chapter!
> 
> NOTE: I did as much research about the Nara clan as I could (I like to keep the story as accurate as possible), but I had to fill in the gaps for some things. Hope it's (somewhat) accurate lol!

It was hard for Kazue to sleep that night. Every time she tried to sleep, she dreamed of a future dyed in red and a red moon in the sky. In the end, Kazue gave up on sleep, listening to Shikamaru’s even breathing beside her instead. It was pouring rain outside, and she could hear the water clattering against the rooftop. 

They wanted her to graduate at five years old. The only person Kazue knew that had ever done that was Kakashi himself, and Kazue was no Kakashi. Not even close. Being a genin at five years old sounded more like a death sentence than anything. Kazue couldn’t help but feel as though her chances of survival had now dropped a rather drastic amount. 

What was the Hokage thinking? He clearly wanted her to graduate early for something, but Kazue didn’t have the faintest clue as to what his reasoning could be. 

These were times of peace. There was no war looming on the horizon, as far as Kazue was concerned…. Right? 

Kazue bit her lip. She knew she’d be a shinobi soon; she’d decided her future over two years ago. She hadn’t realized however, that it would all be happening so soon. That she soon would be out in the field, taking missions… killing people. 

What, Kazue thought numbly, is the point of shinobi, anyway? Shinobi, at their core, were mercenaries. Hired killers. Hit men. Except, instead of working in the black market, they worked legally for hidden villages, protected elemental nations. 

In the end, though, it was all the same. 

Kazue faltered. Her little brother would have known what to do. She missed him. What if he’d lived instead of her? What if she’d seen the car coming? What if she’d decided to stay at home that night? 

There were too many what-ifs to sleep. In the Before, she’d visit his grave every Friday night. She would clean out his grave and place a bouquet of fresh irises by his headstone. She’d stay all night sometimes, talking about her week.

But his grave didn’t exist here. He had never existed here. 

What happened next was probably the most impulsive and reckless thing that Kazue had done in her new life. Still, Kazue stood from her bed quietly, making sure not to wake Shikamaru. She made her way to the back porch, grabbing her lilac raincoat from its hook and pulling on her matching rain boots. She quietly flicked open her umbrella and scampered outside to Yoshino’s garden. As she picked out an iris, Kazue’s mind drifted back a few years, when she’d done the same for Saburo. 

She’d never been to the Konoha cemetery. Kazue didn’t even know where her mother was buried. She knew, however, where the cemetery was. More specifically, where the memorial stone was. Though her little brother had never been a shinobi, Kazue thought that would be the most appropriate place to talk to him. 

It was incredibly dark outside, and the rain clashed furiously against her umbrella as she walked. The wind whipped Kazue’s curls around her face, but she pressed on. Honestly, Kazue wasn’t sure what she was thinking at the moment; she just knew that she needed to talk to someone. Anyone. 

Either way, it was a brief walk to the memorial stone. By the time she reached the edge of the clearing, she was soaked. The rain was falling in such a way that even the umbrella made little difference. 

Kazue froze when she saw a dark figure standing in front of the memorial stone. He was wearing an ANBU uniform, mask clasped to his belt in such a way that Kazue had seen her father do before. The man’s arms were bare-- save for his forearm armor-- and he was utterly soaked, though he didn’t seem to mind. His hands were shoved into his pockets, head bowed slightly as he stared at the stone. 

Ultimately, Kazue decided to approach the stone, making sure to step on sticks and such to announce her presence as she walked forward. When she was finally able to make out his face, Kazue’s steps stuttered, and she sucked in a surprised gasp. 

The ANBU wasn’t a man, but rather a teenager. The lower half of his face was hidden behind a mask, and there was a prominent scar running down his left eye, which he had shut. His silver hair was matted to his face, rain running down his face in rivulets.   
Hatake Kakashi. She could make out the blank look on his face as he stared down at the stone. But Kazue was mentally an adult, an adult who had once lost her entire world. She could make out his slouched, exhausted posture, the bags under his eyes, the pallid color to his skin, the dark stains on his uniform. 

At that moment, Kazue’s heart ached painfully for the teenager in front of her. In the end, Kakashi was still a child. He barely looked to be in his mid-teens, yet he’d suffered much more than most people do in their entire lifetime.

Kazue walked up to the stone carefully, keeping a respectful distance away from the grieving ANBU. She stared at the memorial stone, reading over some of the names written on it.

….There. Uchiha Obito. The wayward soul. Kazue briefly wondered how much time Kakashi spent staring at that name. She then wondered what Obito was currently doing. 

Kazue kept her eyes on the stone, even when she felt Kakashi’s gaze slide over to her. She wasn’t surprised to see that her mother’s name was missing; her mother hadn’t died in action, after all. 

Igarashi Akane. It was hard for Kazue to grieve for someone she’d never met, but she could grieve for what could have been. She could grieve for the pain her death had caused Haruki. 

Every time she closed her eyes, Kazue could see her little brother’s face in her mind. She doubted she’d ever stop seeing him behind her closed eyelids. If he’d lived, he would probably have been married by now. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t picture her little brother as a young man. In death, his face was immortalized. She could only see him as he’d been the last time he was alive. 

Sometimes, Kazue wanted to scream. She hated herself for dying. She’d been the only one that had cared about him. Their parents had never cared. Hell, her father hadn’t even attended the funeral. Now that she was gone, would anyone mourn for her little brother? Would anyone remember him?

Don’t worry, little brother, Kazue thought fiercely. I won’t forget you. 

Very carefully, Kazue knelt in front of the memorial stone and set down her iris. She could feel Kakashi’s gaze on her the entire time. 

Finally, Kazue straightened, and turned towards Kakashi. They stared at each other carefully. The rain didn’t seem like it would be abating anytime soon, and Kakashi was already soaked to the bone. He would get sick if he continued on like this. Kazue frowned, yet Kakashi held her gaze evenly. 

In a split-second decision, she held out her umbrella deliberately. Very slowly, Kakashi blinked at her. His gaze shifted from the umbrella, and back to Kazue, before he finally raised an eyebrow. 

Kazue fought the urge to huff. “It’s raining, shinobi-san. Please take my umbrella so you don’t get sick later.”

Something flickered in Kakashi’s eye, too fast to make out. “Maa, that’s all right. You should keep it for yourself.” His voice was gruff, as though he hadn’t spoken in a long time. 

Bullshit. Kazue’s gaze narrowed. “I must insist, shinobi-san. I already have a raincoat.”

The young ANBU’s attention flickered around the field before settling back on her. “Where are your parents? It’s very late.”

“Tou-san’s out on a mission,” Kazue replied, not missing a beat. Don’t change the subject. “Please take the umbrella, shinobi-san.”

“Kakashi,” the word seemed to stumble out of his mouth. “Just call me Kakashi.”

“Please take the umbrella, Kakashi-san.”

Kazue could only describe what happened next as a staring contest, of sorts. Kakashi held her gaze, but Kazue wouldn’t give up so easily. She was sure that Kakashi could refuse her if he really wanted to, anyway. 

There was a hunched tension in his posture. “Why do you care so much?” 

Kazue cocked her head to the side pensively. “Well,” she began slowly, “teamwork is important in Konoha, right?” Kakashi stiffened, but Kazue plowed on. “Shinobi need to take care of each other so they can better protect the village. It’s like… it’s like one big family. I-I’m not a shinobi, but if the same thing were happening to one of tou-san’s teammates, I would want someone to help them. I’m sure that you also have teammates that want you to stay healthy.”

Kakashi’s uncovered eye widened. A few moments passed in silence, but Kazue held her ground. Finally, his visible features softened, eyes crinkling into a semblance of a smile. Kakashi carefully grasped the umbrella with a glove-clad hand. “Ahh, thank you…”

She stuffed her hands into her pockets and smiled. “My name is Kazue, Kakashi-san.”

The ANBU member reached out and awkwardly patted her curls. “Thank you, Kazue-chan.”

Kazue bowed. “I should go, Kakashi-san. I hope you can get out of the rain soon so you don’t get sick. It was nice to meet you.”

Kakashi’s eye stayed curiously trained on her. “Ah, it was nice to meet you too, Kazue-chan.” He finally turned back to the memorial stone, and Kazue took that as her cue to leave.

Shikaku was waiting for Kazue when she got home, but he didn’t seem angry. If anything, there was a soft light in his eyes as he told her to dry off and go to bed. Kazue hadn’t thought that Shikaku would wake up, but it seemed obvious now that she thought about it. Either way, he must have been pleased by whatever she had done at the memorial stone. 

After changing, Kazue carefully crawled back into bed, being careful not to jostle Shikamaru. It was no time before she drifted off into a dreamless sleep. 

................................................................

If Kazue looked sleep-deprived that morning at breakfast, no one commented on it. Shikaku must have told Yoshino the news that Kumiko had delivered, because the smile on her face looked a bit forced. Kazue stayed silent as she picked through her food while Shikaku sipped on his coffee calmly. Even Shikamaru seemed to pick up on the new atmosphere, because he was glancing back and forth between them all. 

Finally, Shikaku set his mug down and stood, motioning for Kazue to follow him. Brows furrowed, Kazue stood and followed him silently into the backyard. The morning had retained some summer heat, though the cool breeze in the air felt more like a harbinger of fall. The sun was already illuminating the sky, causing the morning dew on the grass to glimmer like diamonds. 

Shikaku led her to the outskirts of the Nara forest, where he settled down on the grass. Kazue took a seat in front of him, waiting for him to speak. 

“I mentioned before,” Shikaku started to say, “that we usually teach the shadow possession techniques to students in their last year of the academy, students who are at least ten years old. I’ve been overseeing your chakra training for a few years now, though, and it’s clear that you’re ready to learn our hidden techniques.”

Kazue’s eyes widened. “The shadow possession technique?” She’d always been fascinated by their clan’s techniques. The fact that an individual could manipulate shadows, and even materialize them, sounded incredibly useful. 

“What do you know about our clan jutsu?”

“The Nara developed it as a way to trap deer without hurting them,” Kazue said immediately. “In time, though, they realized that their technique had combative value.”

“And Yoshino has been teaching you hand seals, correct?”

Kazue nodded. Yoshino had showed Kazue the twelve basic hand seals needed for the shadow possession technique so she could practice them, but she’d never actually learned the technique. Her aunt had only taught her the hand seals after giving Kazue a serious lecture about the importance of keeping the technique a secret. 

Shikaku’s gaze turned contemplative. “Go through the hand seals for me.”

As quickly as she dared, Kazue flashed through the twelve seals needed for the jutsu, without actually gathering any chakra. 

“Straighten out your fingers when you form the tiger seal,” Shikaku instructed. “Do it again.”

Kazue flashed through the seals one more time. 

“Better,” Shikaku amended. “Make sure your wrists are bent properly when you form the boar seal. Again.”

Kazue spent the next few moments going through the hand signs time after time, fixing any mistakes that Shikaku pointed out. 

Finally, her uncle leaned back, satisfied. “Good. You have the hand seals down, though you should keep working on your speed. The thing about the shadow possession technique,” he said slowly, “is that it consists of a basic technique with multiple variations. Once I teach you this first technique, it’ll be up to you what you decide to do with it. The Nara are known for their brains; you must use your strategic mind for this jutsu, or else it’ll be useless.” 

Almost too fast for the naked eye, Shikaku flashed through the hand seals. Immediately, his shadow began to expand unnaturally. Lazily, it made its way over to the side, where it merged with a tree’s shadow. The shadow of the tree expanded as well and circled its way back to them. 

“This is the basic shadow possession technique, which allows its user to manipulate their own shadow and extend it. What else does it do?”

Kazue kept her eyes on the twisting shadows. “You merged the shadow with an environmental shadow,” she observed. “So can you control any shadow that yours touches?”  
Shikaku nodded, pleased. “You can also merge your shadow with allies’ shadows to lengthen your reach. The main disadvantage of this technique, besides the chakra cost, is its reach. There are ways around this, however. You must constantly be aware of your surroundings, and use them to your advantage.”

Her uncle brought back his own shadow, and let it slither over to Kazue. To her, the wisps of shadow on the ground looked a bit like snakes writhing on the ground. The moment his shadow merged with hers though, something strange happened. 

Immediately, Kazue’s hands went up to mirror her uncle’s movements. While it didn’t feel entirely terrifying, it wasn’t pleasant. Kazue didn’t even bother to resist, knowing that she was nowhere near strong enough to break free of the jutsu. Instead, she forced her limbs to relax as she surrendered control. 

Shikaku made his shadow retreat, and it was over. Kazue blinked at how strange the difference was. She’d immediately regained control of her body, and her hands dropped back down to her sides. 

“That,” Shikaku said carefully, “was the Shadow Possession Technique. It allows the user to take control of someone else’s shadow and consequently control their movements. The technique itself must be used carefully, since it drains so much chakra. The user has to physically carry out the movements, so it’s a mirroring technique. Its use isn’t limited to opponents either.” Her uncle’s gaze darkened. “I’ve saved comrades in the past by using this technique on them.”

Kazue’s eyes narrowed in consideration. “Can people break free of this technique?”

Her uncle nodded. “It’s all about will and sheer power. Shadow techniques are yin release abilities, so they can’t be countered by physical strength. For instance, a shadow cannot be brushed aside by using a wind jutsu. However, if an opponent can flare their chakra, or if their willpower is stronger, then they may break free.”

There was a beat of silence, before Shikaku spoke again. “There’s one more layer to this technique, besides the shadow possession jutsu and the shadow paralysis jutsu.” Shikaku flashed through the same seals again, and his manipulated shadow slowly became thicker and pitch black. Kazue ogled as the shadow in front of her turned into an almost tar-like consistency before it lifted from the ground and wrapped itself loosely around Kazue’s wrist. 

The shadow itself didn’t feel sticky or tar-like. Rather, it was incredibly cold and smooth. Still, it was undeniably three dimensional. 

Kazue was snapped out of her thoughts when the shadow retreated back into the ground and the jutsu was cancelled. “I altered the flow of my chakra in order to materialize the shadow. This is, by far, the hardest technique to master. It’s impossible to teach, as everyone must channel their chakra differently to perform this jutsu. In combat, however, this jutsu is invaluable. Though there are endless variations to this technique, the most common ones are the Shadow Stitching Jutsu and the Shadow Strangle Jutsu. Why do you think there’s only two?”

“Um,” Kazue racked her brain. “It probably takes up too much chakra, right? You said that it’s also hard to teach, so maybe a lot of clan members can’t learn it?”

Shikaku nodded. “Not many in our clan are able to materialize their shadows, much less use them competently.” Her uncle’s tone became off-handed, which contrasted with the intent glint in his eyes, “It would take an extraordinary amount of chakra self-awareness to be able to use this technique to its fullest extent.”

...Oh. Kazue didn’t know whether to be flattered or intimidated. “Do you think I could do it, then, oji-san?”

Shikaku shrugged. “You’ll have to master the shadow possession techniques before you can materialize your shadow. Give it a shot now. Channel your chakra, and try to extend your shadow outwards.”

Kazue swallowed nervously, but complied. She flashed through the hand seals, and very carefully poured some chakra into the seals. Kazue’s concentration almost completely faltered as she saw her own shadow quiver.

Holyshitholyshitholyshit--

Focus. 

Holding her breath, Kazue willed her shadow forward while simultaneously holding the rat hand seal in place. A tendril from her shadow began to slither forward shakily. She tried to make it go to the tree, but her concentration broke, and the shadow shot back.   
Kazue failed to hold back her grin. That was so cool! 

A slow clap startled her out of her stupor, and Kazue glanced up at her uncle. There was a pleased look on his face, and his lips were pulled up into a proud smile. “That was much better than I’d anticipated. Do you know what went wrong?”

Kazue flushed. “I lost my focus,” she said, though a bit unrepentantly. “I didn’t think it would actually work.”

Her uncle snorted, before pulling himself up from the ground. He offered Kazue a hand, and she took it gratefully. “Practice that jutsu as much as you can,” he informed her as they started making their way back home. “Work on your range first, and use the shadows around you to widen it. Then you can move on to shadow possession.”

“Hai!”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kazue makes a life-changing decision...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! 
> 
> Back from the dead with another chapter. I am so so grateful for the support this fic has gotten, and I'm glad everyone is enjoying it! I hope everyone is staying safe and taking care of themselves :D 
> 
> Enjoy the new chapter!

That night, Yoshino allowed her and Shikamaru to sit out in the backyard and stargaze. They laid on the grass side-by-side, shoulders touching. It was a quiet night, and the sky was clear. Kazue could hear the rustling trees in the wind, and the chipper of the grasshoppers. 

Still… Kazue’s mind was preoccupied. Shikaku’s words from the day before lingered in her mind. Moving up in the academy could allow Kazue to become a better shinobi… if she didn’t die first. It was hard to wrap her head around the fact that the hokage wanted a five year-old girl fighting grown men. 

It kind of sounded like an early death sentence to her. 

“This is so troublesome… Are you going to tell me what’s wrong, ‘Zue-neechan?” 

Kazue startled, and glanced over at Shikamaru. 

Not for the first time, Kazue marveled at the similarities between Shikamaru and his father. “How do you know there’s something wrong?” She asked, curious. 

“You were looking at the stars, but your eyes weren’t focused,” Shikamaru pointed out. “Plus, you usually like to point out the constellations, but you haven’t said anything yet.”

Kazue snorted softly, before pushing herself up on her elbows. “There’s a decision I have to make soon,” she admitted. “If I say yes… it’ll get dangerous.”

“Then don’t do it,” Shikamaru said immediately. 

“But…” Kazue stared down at Shikamaru. At two years old, he was already so aware of his surroundings. His hair was getting longer too; he’d start wearing it up soon. It wouldn’t be too long before Shikamaru attended the academy and eventually placed in a genin team…

Kazue wanted to protect her family, more than anything. It was an ache in her chest that she couldn’t be rid of. She’d failed to protect her only family in her first life. Losing another would be unbearable. 

Kazue shook her head slowly. “...Saying no would go against my nindo.” Wow, she sounded like Naruto, but it was true nonetheless. 

Shikamaru eyed her, before flopping back down on his back. “It sounds like you’ve made your choice, then.”

Kazue settled back down at her cousin’s side and looked back up at the starry sky. “I guess I have.”

…………..

Haruki came home the next morning as they were eating breakfast. Kazue shot up from her seat and launched herself at him as soon as he ambled into the kitchen. Her father caught her readily, chuckling. “Hello, Arashi-chan. How was your first week at the academy?”

It was clear that Haruki had showered before coming, because he smelled like soap and aftershave. Kazue burrowed her face deeper into Haruki’s chest, muffling her reply. 

“Sorry, what was that?” Haruki sounded puzzled, and Kazue lifted her head to meet her father’s eyes. Something tightened in her chest. 

At that moment, Shikaku rose from his seat. “I think what Kazue meant to say was that she’s the best in the class. She was even approached by her sensei on Friday.” He shot his younger brother a meaningful glance, and Haruki stiffened. 

“I think…” her father said slowly. “That we should talk about this in the family room.”

Yoshino swiftly wiped her mouth with a napkin and stood. “There’s no need for that. Shikamaru needs to take a bath anyway.” She picked up her son from where he was dozing, ignoring his indignant squawk. 

“I don’t want a bath, Kaa-san! The water’s always too cold…” Her cousin’s voice drifted off as they walked away. Her father set Kazue down, and they all took a seat. 

“What’s this about Kazue’s sensei?” Haruki asked, face carefully blank. 

Kazue bit her lip as Shikaku procured Kumiko sensei’s note and handed it to her father. The silence in the room was almost deafening as he read the note. Kazue tried to read her father’s expressions, but for once, Haruki was utterly impassive. 

Once he was finished, Haruki’s eyes flickered back up to Kazue. “What do you think about this?” At this point, Shikaku too had his attention on her. 

Kazue tried not to fidget under their stares. “At first,” she began, “I didn’t want to do it. I didn’t think I would be graduating so early. It scared me,” she admitted. Something in Haruki’s face cracked, but Kazue plowed on. “But then, I talked to Shika-chan. He helped me realize a few things. If so many experienced shinobi think that I’m ready, then I trust their opinions. I want to protect my family, and I’ll work hard to graduate early so I can do that.”

There was a beat of silence as the two men processed Kazue’s words. 

Finally, Haruki’s lips pulled up into a soft, resigned smile. “That sounds like something your kaa-chan would have said. She would have been so proud of you, and so am I. While I won’t deny that the thought of my five year-old daughter becoming a genin doesn’t terrify me,” Haruki cringed, “I won’t hold you back.”

Beside her father, Shikaku’s eyes were soft with pride and understanding. “It sounds like you’ve made your choice, then.” His expression quickly sobered. “I hope you know that training will only get harder from now on. I’ll be damned if I don’t prepare my niece to be a competent shinobi.”

Haruki shot his brother a grateful look before turning back to Kazue. “I’ll be upping your stamina training as well, then. We can also ask Yoshino to give you some lessons on survival skills.”

Kazue nodded seriously. She knew that her age would be her biggest disadvantage, so she was going to take whatever she could get. 

Shikaku stood with a yawn, breaking any remaining tension in the room. “I have a meeting with the Sandaime, so I’ll inform him of the news then. It’s likely that you’ll be in your new class tomorrow. Haruki, you should take Kazue shopping today for some supplies and clothes as well. I’ll get a formal list from the hokage, but start with a new set of kunai, some ninja wire…. ”

Kazue looked on, lost in thought, as her father and uncle conversed. It was really happening. The fact that Kazue might be a genin in a few years was a bit numbing. Granted, she’d have to pass the exam first. Still, it was a daunting thought. 

The next day, she’d be in a genin class full of twelve year-old kids. Thinking about that made her stomach churn uneasily. She thought about her future classmates, but couldn’t think of anyone who’d be in her class. 

Well, I guess we’ll have to see, she thought. 

……………..

Kazue didn’t know what to expect when she walked into her new classroom. She’d spent the prior night fruitlessly trying to figure out who’d be in her class, but to no avail. Haruki and Kazue had spent the rest of the day shopping around the village. Kazue had acquired a new set of kunai, and a stocked supplies pouch. She’d also finally gotten around to buying some more suitable clothing. 

Kazue was decked in a very similar Nara fashion. She’d decided to go for the loose shinobi black trousers that stopped mid-calf, with bandages around the thigh to support a kunai pouch. Kazue also wore a fitted grey coat outfitted with various pockets for her pots of salve. A mesh shirt peeked out from beneath her coat. 

Honestly, Kazue hadn’t been sure about what to do with her hair. Her wild, unruly curls had always fallen to graze her shoulders. In the end, Kazue simply decided to use a piece of string to keep her hair out of her face, and hoped for the best. 

Haruki smiled at her, eyes crinkled, when he saw her for the first time. He had the day off, so he decided to walk her to the academy. Kazue gripped his hand even after they arrived at the academy. Kazue knew she looked tiny, but she couldn’t do anything about that. Her rather wide grey eyes assured she always had a curious, young look, especially combined with her unruly hair and-- according to Yoshino-- pinchable cheeks. 

After a brief conversation with the chunin at the main entrance, Kazue was surprised to learn that her new sensei’s name was Shiranui Misaki. Kazue bid her father goodbye and walked into her classroom, where her new sensei was waiting. The man looked older than Shikaku, and seemed to be favoring his right side as he leant against the closed classroom door. 

He offered her a friendly smile when she approached him. “You must be Kazue,” he greeted. There was a rough edge to his voice, which made Kazue wonder if he was a smoker. “Everyone else is already inside, so I’ll introduce you.”

With a deep breath, she followed her new sensei as he ambled into the classroom. Sure enough, Kazue noted that he did have a heavy limp in his gait. Perhaps an injury had forced him to retire from active duty?

Any loud chatter immediately died as Kazue and Misaki walked into the room. Kazue tried to evoke Shikaku’s signature blank face as soon as she felt everyone’s eyes latch onto her. Her eyes briefly scanned her new classmates, lingering on a few students. There was a boy in the back who was frowning at her dubiously, a boy sporting a high ponytail and a scar on his nose. Closer to the middle were two familiar-looking boys sitting together. One boy had his dark hair swept over one eye, while the other hair spiky locks splayed around his face haphazardly and three white markings on his face. Near the front was a young girl with long brown hair and Inuzuka markings on her face. 

“Hello class,” Misaki called out good naturedly, before placing a heavy hand on Kazue’s shoulder. “This is Nara Kazue. She’ll be joining our class as of today.”

Upon hearing those words, incredulous whispers broke out. 

“No way…”

“Are you serious?”

“She’s a chibi...”

Ignoring the muffled whispers, Misaki turned to Kazue. “Why don’t you take a seat, then?”

“Hai, Misaki-sensei.”

Kazue moved as soon as she spotted an empty seat near the back, by the scarred boy that had caught her eye earlier. She offered him a small smile as she sat down, but he scrunched up his nose at her and turned away in a huff. 

...Well, then. 

Throughout the morning lesson, students continued to turn in their seats to gawk or glare dubiously at Kazue. Still, she kept her gaze firmly on her notebook, trying to even her breathing. 

Kazue suppressed a sigh. This was going to be troublesome, wasn’t it? 

For the rest of the morning, Kazue worked on calming herself down, while simultaneously trying to pay attention to the lesson. She was reassured to learn that the day’s content was not utterly foreign to her. 

At the end of the morning, Misaki took the class outside for some light sparring. There was an anxious thrum in the air. Kazue watched on curiously as the spars continued, noting the differences between first year spars and fourth year spars. It was clear that all of those years in the academy made a large difference; every fighter had a solid taijutsu base by now. Additionally, the clan kids seemed well versed in their own specialized taijutsu styles.

“Next up is Inuzuka Hana against Kamizuki Izumo.”

Hana’s spar was especially interesting, since she fought alongside three small puppies. Kazue hadn’t been sure how they’d partake in the spar, but it was clear that the Inuzuka clan created their own brand of taijutsu with joint fighting in mind. 

Though the same anxiety that came every time Kazue had to use taijutsu was filling her, Kazue was reassured to see that these students didn’t seem to be miles ahead of her. Pretty much all of them were physically stronger than her; their punches and kicks had much more force to them. However, Kazue saw weaknesses in their form that could hopefully be exploited. 

Shikaku’s voice drifted to her mind again. You won’t be as physically strong as your opponent, so use your brain, use your speed. Check their weaknesses, and finish it quickly. 

“Next up,” Misaki called out as the Inuzuka girl and her opponent walked off the ring, “is Nara Kazue against Umino Iruka.”

Immediately, there was a mood shift in the crowd. Kazue squared her shoulders and stepped into the circle, biting the inside of her cheek upon hearing the whispers. 

There was a scoff off to her left. “Iruka’s the dead-last, but there’s no way she’ll beat him…”

“She must have been moved up for a reason,” another voice argued. 

“Look at her! She looks weak.”

….Thanks. 

Iruka stepped into the circle as well, scowling childishly at Kazue. She tried to keep her face placid as they formed the seal of unison. 

Misaki's eyes shifted between them both. “And… Begin!”

Immediately, Iruka clumsily launched himself at Kazue, who ducked under his reach and shot out an arm to hit his unprotected side. The scarred boy let out a surprised cry before whirling around and going after Kazue again. 

Very quickly, she noted that Iruka didn’t seem to follow any taijutsu style. His frustrations were influencing him too much, making his moves sloppy, rather like Jiro had been. With a burst of chakra, Kazue took hold of his outstretched arm and used his momentum against him to flip him in the air. Iruka’s back hit the ground with a thud, and Kazue quickly slipped a kunai from her pouch to press against his vital point. 

“Winner: Kazue.”

Shocked mutterings and snickers broke out. 

Kazue placed her kunai away and offered the shocked Iruka a hand. “That was a good match, Iruka-san,” She said, trying for a smile, though it probably looked more like a grimace. 

Iruka’s face quickly flushed with embarrassment. He ignored her offered hand as he scrambled back to his feet. 

“Finish the sign of unison, now,” Misaki called out. 

Iruka’s face twisted up into another scowl, but he complied. Quickly, though, he let go of her grasp and stepped out of the circle, shoulders hunched. 

Kazue stared after him. She couldn’t deny that she was hurt. She could feel the student’s eyes on her and quickly made her way to the back of the crowd. Their stares burnt holes into her back as she walked, barely paying heed to Misaki calling out the next match. 

Kazue knew that kids got jealous, especially if a girl almost eight years their junior joined their class. That wasn’t new. No matter what universe, people would always compare themselves to others. Still… it didn’t make it any easier. 

As the matches went on, she tried to calm herself down, to steady her breathing. Still, there was a traitorous lump in her throat. 

She just wanted to go home. 

...............................................

After the first few weeks at the academy, Kazue finally became used to her new routine. At school, most kids eventually grew to ignore her. The whispers died down after a while. Kazue herself had always preferred fading to the background, so she counted this as a bit of a win. The only thing was that Iruka seemed intent on hating Kazue, no matter how amicable she tried to be. It seemed as though her spar with him had left a mark, because he could no longer look at her without scowling or glaring.

Beyond that, she was mostly ignored. Kazue kept to herself during the school day, focusing on her studies. Though many things were easy for her-- even if this was the final year at the academy, the math lessons were still for kids-- there were a lot of topics that she’d never covered in the Before.

After shinobi lifestyle lessons, history was the most interesting to her. Kazue was amazed at how compressed the history was in this universe. In the Before, her world history lessons had spanned thousands of years. Here, however, everything seemed to start with the Warring Clans Era, which was less than 150 years ago, if Kazue had to guess. Considering how Uzumaki Mito-- the wife of the Shodaime-- had still been alive less than twenty years ago, the village couldn’t be any older than that. 

Beyond her Academy life, Shikaku and Haruki hadn’t been lying when they said that they’d be upping her training. Her father was borderline vicious in their physical training now. He’d taken to sparring with more force, using chakra-enhanced hits. By the end of her sessions with Haruki, Kazue was always ready to collapse. Thankfully, Haruki was always willing to carry her home, smiling at her in amusement whenever she lifted her arms up half-heartedly. 

Sometimes, Haruki even invited his team to help with Kazue’s training, much to her combined apprehension and excitement. The hardest person to spar with by far was Hiroshi; even without his byakugan, he always seemed to predict Kazue’s next move. The team captain fought intelligently, using the minimum moves required to take her down. Yuri was the fastest and liveliest of the group, always ducking and whirling away from her attacks. Isamu, however, was the strongest physically. Interestingly enough, he also wielded a tanto which he liked to coat in wind chakra, which made him downright terrifying to face. 

Yoshino had also become more serious in their training sessions, most of which Shikamaru was present for. She’d taken to bringing Kazue and Shikamaru to the Nara research facilities once a week. There, she spent time drilling Kazue on her knowledge on medicinal herbs and medicines. Though the Nara clan created many different types of medicines in the form of pills or injections, Yoshino also thought it was important to know how to make medicine even when you’re in enemy territory. It was important to be aware of what ingredients could be found in different terrains, and what to do with them. 

But out of everything that Kazue had been learning, her clan training with Shikaku was her favorite. In a way, manipulating shadows was like manipulating an extension of her own chakra. It kind of felt like a second limb. After spending some time gaining control of her own shadow, Kazue began taking advantage of environmental shadows, using them to widen her range. She’d even tried using Shikaku’s own shadow once or twice, with varying degrees of success. 

Eventually, Shikaku began telling her about the shadow possession techniques, about using them to freeze an opponent in place. Though a useful skill, it was a difficult jutsu to maintain. It drained chakra, and could be overpowered if the opponent was stronger. So Kazue continued to work on the jutsu, adjusting her chakra flow to optimize the technique. 

Kazue alternated between being at the Academy, training with her family and her father’s team, and spending time with Shikamaru. Her little cousin was growing like a weed, looking more like his father by the minute. He’d taken to spending time with Choji, a small, chubby-cheeked boy with wide, genuine smiles. Often times, Kazue would take him and Shikamaru to the park to play, or to doze beneath the shade of a tree while the Akimichi munched on some chips. Soon, Akimichi Choji became an addition to her growing family. 

In a flurry of training, spending time with friends and family, and school, time passed quickly. Weeks turned into months. 

Before Kazue knew it, her fifth birthday and graduation exams loomed over the horizon.


End file.
